Americans Sara Hall, Emma Bates and Keira D'Amato Run To 5th, 7th and 8th

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Tim Healy, John Nepolitan and Chuck Aragon photos

EUGENE – For the second consecutive morning, Ethiopia celebrated a World title in the marathon near the banks of the Willamette River. 

Gotytom Gebreslase sat on Kenyan Judith Jeptum Korir after the two had broken away from the pack and patiently waited for her time to charge to the finish. 

That was troublesome for Korir, who knew that she was rabbiting too much of the race. 

"The Kenyan asked me to pass her, but I stayed patient," Gebreslase said. "Towards 40km, I felt strong and decided to leave. (Tamirat) Tola's win yesterday motivated me a lot today. I did not know I was the first Ethiopian woman to win (the world title since 2015). All the credit goes to God. I plan to prepare well and defend my title in Budapest."

Gebreslase's time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 11 seconds broke the World Championship record held by Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe since 2005. 

It was the second Ethiopian gold medal in the event, and first since Mare Dibaba won it in 2015. 

Although they didn't get much airtime on the broadcast, the America trio of Sara Hall, Emma Bates and Keira D'Amato enjoyed a superb morning on the streets and paths of Eugene and Springfield. 

All three finished in the top eight, with Hall taking fifth in 2:22:10, Bates finishing seventh in a personal-best 2:23:18 and D'Amato 16 seconds behind her as a late replacement for the Americans once Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel withdrew from competition before the meet. 

It was the first time the U.S. has placed three in the top 10 of the women's marathon at Worlds after a pair of athletes achieved the feat in 2009.

Korir ran a personal-best 2:18:20, giving up nine seconds to Gebreslase after she made her move with about 3,000 meters left. 

"The Ethiopian runners are very fast," Korir said. "It's not easy to run with them, but I tried my best. It bothered me a bit the fact that (Gotytom) did not want to pace with me after the two of us were alone. I am happy with my silver and my personal best."

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, who was born in Kenya and moved to Israel in 2008, won the race for bronze by pulling away from Nazret Weldu from Eritrea. Salpeter finished in 2:20:18, about two minutes behind the leaders. It was Israel's first medal in any distance running event. 

"I remained patient after the ladies pushed early in the race, no matter how the race would unfold," Salpeter said. "I am really happy for today. My preparation was not that good. Today, it was a really fantastic achievement."