London Marathon: Freya Murray shines but Olympic dream up in the air

Paula Radcliffe and Mara Yamauchi had already qualified for the Olympic marathon before yesterday’s race, and Murray had hoped she could win the final place on the team. However, the Scot, while running her first-ever marathon in an impressive 2:28:12 for 13th place, finished 26 seconds behind Claire Hallissey, who now looks almost certain to be named in the team today. Murray’s hopes are not dead in the water, however, as she could still be called in as a reserve, while there are likely to be opportunities to qualify for other events at the Games.

Jo Pavey’s Olympic gamble appears to have backfired. She opted to miss the London Marathon and hope that her time from last year’s race was enough to claim the last available place on the Olympic team alongside Radcliffe and Yamauchi. However, Pavey watched on television as both Hallissey and Murray eclipsed her time. Hallissey, 29, set a new personal best of two hours 27 minutes 44 seconds – 40 seconds quicker than Pavey in 2011 – to finish 11th, with Murray an excellent 13th in 2hrs 28mins 10secs. Kenya’s Mary Keitany retained her title in 2:18.37 – a personal best which saw her complete the last five miles quicker than Radcliffe did in setting the world record in 2003 – with compatriots Edna Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo second and third respectively.

“I am pleased with my run today and the time was okay,” a modest Keitany said. “The weather here all week has not been good but when I saw the sunshine this morning I knew the weather would be right for me.”

Pavey was quick to congratulate her rivals, saying: “Congratulations to them both and especially Claire coming in first Briton. She ran so well. I have to sit and wait. There is a chance that they (the selectors) might take into account I ran a good time in New York on a hilly course but I think that won’t be the case. I am not holding my hopes up for that.

“It’s not all doom and gloom. Partially it’s a weight lifted off my mind because now I know what I have to focus on. I’ll turn my attention to the 5,000 and 10,000 metres and trying to qualify on the track. That’s what I am most familiar with.”

A delighted Hallissey said: “I just really enjoyed it and everything seemed to click into place. It’s always difficult in the marathon. You can never tell until you get near the finish if you are going to maintain the pace. It was the fastest I have ever gone out and I could feel the extra pace and it did hurt. There was no point just turning up and running a conservative race and trying to get a slight personal best. It was all or nothing. I have done everything I came here to do but it’s in the selectors’ hands. It would be fantastic (to be picked). A home Olympics is a chance of a lifetime.” In the men’s race, Wilson Kipsang made it a Kenyan double with victory in 2:04.44, just four seconds outside the course record set last year by Emmanuel Mutai.