Kenyans lead procession in Athens

Kipkurui Joephat led a procession of Kenyans to victory in the Athens Classic Marathon in Greece on Sunday while Japan's Ozaki Akemi won the women's race.

Much of the 42.195km race was run in heavy rain, as Josephat led the triple Kenyan sweep with a time of two hours, 13 minutes and 44 seconds.

Japan's Akemi Ozaki won the women's event in two hours, 39 minutes and 56 seconds.

More than 3 600 athletes started the marathon, the biggest field in its history.

The Athens Classic Marathon follows the route supposedly taken by messenger Pheidippides when he carried news of the Athenians' victory over the Persians in 490 BC from, from the town of Marathon to Athens.

The marathon race has become one of the most competitive events when the Olympic Games were revived in 1896.