BRILLIANT DEBUT: Ethopia's Kenenisa Bekele wins his first ever marathon in Paris, but fails to beat the record. PHOTO: AFP
The 31-year-old 5,000m and 10,000m world record holder crossed the line in an event record time of two hours, five minutes and two seconds after negotiating a sunbathed course of 42km, through the streets of the French capital.
The previous Paris record was held by Kenya's Stanley Wiwott who clocked 2:05:10 in 2012.
Fellow Ethiopian Getachew Negari Terfa, who set a course record at Xiamen in 2013, came home second with Luka Kanda of Kenya, the 2012 Rome winner, claiming the final spot on the podium in third.
"It was my first marathon and I didn't have much experience," said the 31-year-old triple Olympic champion.
"It was very tough but that is expected. After 25km I pushed alone, but it was extremely difficult at that point."
Bekele emulated his great compatriot Haile Gebreselassie, who also made a successful step from the track to marathon and has the third fastest time in history.
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