Gert Thys (RSA) (© Getty Images)
Defending champion Gert Thys of South Africa won today's Seoul International Marathon in 2:07:06, the fastest time in the world so far in 2004.
Thys took the lead at the 35-kilometres mark ahead of a group led by South Korea's Lee Bong-Ju, 33, the 2001 Boston Marathon, and Kenya's William Kipsang, the 2003 Amsterdam winner.
Thys, 32, won the US$ 50,000 prize and was followed home by Kipsang (2:07:43) and Mbarak Hussein of Kenya, 38, who came third in 2:08:10.
Tefere Wodajo of Ethiopia finished fourth with 2:08:11, ahead of Lee, the 1996 Olympic silver medallist winner, in fifth (2:08:15).
Thys won last year's Seoul race in 2:08:42, and has a national record best of 2:06:33 from when winning the 1999 Tokyo Marathon. He finished a disappointing 30th place at the Worlds in Paris last summer (2:15:00).
Eun-Jung improves PB to 2:26 to win women's race
Lee Eun-Jung of South Korea won today's women's race by clocking a time of 2:26:17, five seconds shy of the national record, which is held by Kwon Eun-Ju (1997).
For the 22 year-old Eun-Jung it was a huge new personal best, her previous fastest being a 2:32:55 last year. She was also fifth in Seoul last year in 2:35:18.
In total more than 12,300 South Korean and foreign runners participated in the race through the centre of the capital, which doubled as a qualifier for this summer's Athens Olympics for South Korean marathoners.
Agencies and IAAF
