Abera wins thrilling marathon

Abera's finishing burst was cruel and clinical

Gezahegne Abera outsprinted Simon Biwott of Kenya in the final metres to win the men's marathon and the first gold medal at the World Athletics Championships.

The Ethiopian adds the world crown to the Olympic title he won at Sydney last year.

Stefano Baldini of Italy finished third to win the bronze medal.

The end of the race concluded the opening ceremony of the first championships held in North America, with 40,000 spectators filling the Commonwealth Stadium.

Those fans were rewarded with as good a finish to a marathon as one could expect, with Abera and Biwott both evenly placed entering the final 200m.

Tightly bunched

Abera finished in 2 hours 12 mins 42 second, a second ahead of Biwott in one of the closest marathon finishes in a major championship.

Baldini's time was 2.13:17.

A large pack of leaders remained tightly bunched for much of the race, until Abdelkhader el Mouaziz of Morocco - the reigning London marathon champion - broke away at the 1.20 hour mark.