Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia won the 15km St. Silvester road race held in this southeastern Brazilian city Saturday. Jeptoo Prisca of Kenya won the women's event. Under a steady downpour and in temperatures of about 25C (77F), Bekele took the lead shortly after the halfway mark and never lost it. He completed the 9.3 miles in 43 minutes, 35 seconds. Mark Korir of Kenya was second in 43.58. Matthew Kisorio, also of Kenya, came in third (44.12). Brazilians were expecting a fourth victory for local hero Mar?lson dos Santos (two-time winner of the New York City Marathon), but the 34-year-old only managed to finish in eight place – also beat by compatriot Dami?o de Souza who was seventh. Held in the middle of a torrential storm, the 24-year-old Bekele – younger brother of the long-distance king Kenenisa – was able to shake the peloton off at the seventh kilometre, at the Avenue Rio Branco. From that point Bekele controlled the race until its end. “I was able to put my plan in place,” explained Bekele. “I wanted to push hard after the sixth kilometer, and the rain didn't bother me at all. My experience as a track athlete gave me the edge over people who come from the marathon, such as Kisorio and Lel. All the training I'm putting in for the World Indoor Championships along with Kenenisa also helped me. I'm hoping this victory will be a good motivation for both of us.” Jeptoo finished in 48.48 and was followed by Ethiopia's Wude Ayalew (48.52) and Kenya's Eunice Kirwa (50.58). “I'm very happy with the victory”, said the 27-year-old Jeptoo, silver medalist in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu. “The S?o Silvestre is among the world's best road races, and now I want to return to win my second title. The only thing I wish would be not to face rain again. I had never seen a storm like this.” The winners won 35,000 reals ($18,617) each.
