Victor Kiplangat of Uganda pulls away late to win men’s marathon on last day at worlds

Victor Kiplangat of Uganda executed his game plan to near perfection, pulling away late in the race to win the men’s marathon Sunday on the last day of world championships.

Kiplangat finished in a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, 53 seconds to edge Maru Teferi of Israel by 19 seconds. Leul Gebresilase of Ethiopia took home bronze on a hot day where the temperature at the end soared to 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit).

“It was hard today because it was so hot but I felt comfortable because I prepared well for this weather,” the 23-year-old Kiplangat said. “I always felt I had the power.”

The heat and humidity led to 24 runners not finishing a race that ended in Heroes’ Square, including defending champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia. He said he dealt with stomach issues.

“I was trying my best. I was feeling good until 30 kilometers,” he explained. “After that, I started to have a bad feeling in my stomach.”

The top American finisher was Zach Panning, who finished 13th and 2:28 behind Kiplangat.

The world championships finish with a flurry Sunday night with seven finals. It includes American Athing Mu trying to defend her 800-meter title along with the men’s and women’s 4x400 relays to wrap up the competition in Budapest.