Kenyan Kipsang Wins In Tokyo

Kipsang made his break for the finish at the 36-kilometre stage.

Kenya's Salim Kipsang won the Tokyo Marathon in a time of two hours, 10 minutes and 27 seconds on Sunday.

Japan's Kazuhiro Maeda marked his first full marathon by finishing runner-up to Kipsang in 2:11:01 to qualify for Japan's team at the world championships in Berlin this August.

A field of 35,000 athletes and fun runners pounded Tokyo's streets with the country's iconic cherry blossoms bursting into bloom along parts of the course to mark the arrival of spring.

Kipsang made his break for the finish at the 36-kilometre stage, leaving fellow Kenyan Sammy Korir and the Japananese pair of Kensuke Takahashi and Maeda in his wake.

Takahashi finished third in 2:11:25.

Mizuho Nasukawa led Japan to a clean sweep of the podium in the women's race with a winning time of 2:25:38.