Joshua Belet led a Kenyan 1-2-3 finish in the Amsterdam marathon on Sunday in the Netherlands
Belet clocked 2:04:18, the third fastest time ever recorded in the Dutch capital.
Cybrian Kotut was second in 2:04:34 as Bethwell Chumba came third in 2:04:37.
Belet, bounced back from his World Championships withdrawal to record a personal best, improving on the 2:04:33 he clocked when finishing second in Hamburg in April.
In the men’s race, a large lead pack covered the opening 5km in 14:54, then sped up to reach 10km in 29:28 and 15km in 44:03.
The pack still contained about 12 men as they passed through 20km (58:48) and the halfway point (1:02:01), which was 10 seconds quicker than Tamirat Tola achieved when he set the course record of 2:03:39 in 2021.
The lead pack started to whittle down gradually in the second half. After going through 30km in 1:28:28, Belet made his move and opened up a gap on the rest of the field, one he wouldn’t relinquish.
There were several changes of position among the athletes in the chase pack in the final kilometres, but Belet held on to his lead and went on to win in 2:04:18.
In the women's category, Ethiopia's Meseret Belete carried the day in 2:18:21, the third fastest time ever on the Amsterdam course.
Compatriot Meseret Abebayehu came second in 2:19:50 as Kenya's Dorcas Tuitoek took the final podium position in 2:20:02.
Belete maintained a remarkably consistent pace throughout, and for most of the way, she ran alongside compatriots Abebayehu and Ashete Bekere, as well as Tuitoek.
A large lead pack passed through 5km in 16:27 and 10km in 32:45. About nine runners were still in contention as they passed through the halfway point in 1:09:05. It indicated they were set for a finishing time in the region of 2:18, though Almaz Ayana’s course record of 2:17:20 was perhaps by now slightly out of reach.
By 30km, reached in 1:38:08, there were just four women left in the lead pack – Belete, Abebayehu, Tuitoek and Bekere. They ran together for a further 10 minutes or so, then Belete started to forge a lead.
She didn’t have to increase her pace; she simply maintained it while her last few opponents drifted off it. Belete eventually entered the stadium with a comfortable lead and crossed the line in 2:18:21, winning by 89 seconds.