Degefa wins women's Boston Marathon

Boston - Ethiopia's Worknesh Degefa powered to victory in the women's elite race at the Boston Marathon on Monday, leading almost from start to finish to clinch the biggest win of her career.

Degefa hit the front in the early stages before pulling away to finish in just over 2hr 23min 30sec.

The 28-year-old had forged into a two-minute lead by the 12-mile mark and had pulled away to lead by four minutes through 20 miles.

Degefa's pace slowed dramatically over the closing stages, as Kenya's Edna Kiplagat, the 2017 Boston champion, kicked hard in pursuit.

But although Kiplagat steadily chipped away at Degefa's lead, narrowing the gap to around one minute with a couple of miles to go, Degefa never looked in danger of being overhauled.

Kiplagat crossed in second while Jordan Hasay of the United States finished third.