History has been made at the 2014 Boston Marathon.
Meb Keflezighi crossed the finish line with an official time of 2:08:37 on Monday to become the first American male to win the Boston Marathon since 1983.
The last American to win the Boston Marathon before Keflezighi was Greg Meyer, who did it in 1983 with a time of 2:09:00.
“I’m blessed to be an American, and God bless America and God bless Boston for this special day,” Keflezighi said after the race, via The Associated Press.
Keflezighi was born in Eritrea but moved to the United States when he was 12 years old and became a naturalized American citizen in 1998. In 2009, he became the first American to win the New York City Marathon in 27 years with a personal-best time of 2:09:08.
The 38-year-old was forced to withdraw from last year’s Boston Marathon because of injury but vowed to return to competition in 2014.
“When the bomb exploded, every day since I’ve wanted to come back and win it,” Keflezighi said. “… I wanted to win it for the people of Boston. It’s beyond words. The laurel wreath, the trophy.”
The women’s race also featured an historic finish, as Kenyan Rita Jeptoo set a new course record by crossing the finish line in 2:18:57. It’s the second consecutive Boston Marathon victory for Jeptoo, who won last year in 2:26:25.
Check out the finish in the Boston Globe video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZc_M_pqZN0&w=6400&h=360]
Photo via Twitter/@BostonGlobe
