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Tufa's late surge brings London Marathon victory

Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa celebrates after winning the Women's Elite race Reuters / Suzanne Plunkett (Reuters)

By Tom Hayward LONDON (Reuters) - Ethiopia’s Tigist Tufa was the surprise winner of the women’s London Marathon on Sunday after her powerful late break saw her cruise home 18 seconds clear of Kenyan Mary Keitany. After a tentative race Tufa broke clear in the closing miles and sauntered down the Mall, waving to the crowd, to clock two hours, 23 minutes, 22 seconds, followed by Keitany (2:23.40) and Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye (2:23.41). The race was expected to be dominated by Kenya’s ‘fantastic four’ of Keitany, Edna and Florence Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo but they struggled in blustery conditions around the twisting London streets. Despite the stellar field the race was a cagey affair and with many of the leading names refusing to make a break it was Tufa who finished best with a dominant late burst.