Guye Adola wins Rotterdam in 2:03:54; Mekides Shimeles, 20, breaks the course record

Guye Adola of Ethiopia won the 45th Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday in 2:03:54, 16 seconds outside the course record. The lead group of nine passed halfway in 1:01:36 and seven were still together at 30 km in 1:27:28. Bashir Abdi, the home favourite who holds that record and the European record with his 2:03:36 from 2021, broke away with Tesfaye Deriba at about 37 km and edged ahead before 40 km. Then he slowed. Adola, who had sat just behind the leaders all day, came past about two kilometres from the finish. Deriba was second in 2:04:15, Abdi third in 2:04:19 and Kenya's Kenneth Kipkemoi fourth in 2:04:21.

Mekides Shimeles, 20, won the women's race in 2:18:56, a course record by two seconds over Tiki Gelana's 2:18:58 from 2012. She lost contact at the 25 km drinks station and got back on, then went clear before 30 km and built a lead of about a minute over the next five. Aminet Ahmed was second in 2:21:25, Shitaye Eshete third in 2:23:22 and Clémence Calvin fifth in a French-leading 2:25:24.

Filmon Tesfu was seventh in 2:06:40 for the Dutch title and Mikky Keetels, a flight attendant, took the women's national title in 2:30:42.

Abdi had the race in his hands at 40 km and lost it. Adola, who had been forgotten at the back of the group, had been waiting for exactly that.

Sources: World Athletics; NOS; Marathons.com.