Abitova steals thunder with Yokohama victory

YOKOHAMA (Reuters) - Russia's Inga Abitova won the Yokohama Women's International Marathon on Sunday, overshadowing the Beijing Olympic gold and silver medallists.

Last year's Olympic champion Constantina Dita of Romania trailed in a distant 10th while Kenyan Catherine Ndereba finished third.

Abitova, a 10,000 metres specialist, broke clear from the leading group from the 30-kilometre mark to win in a time of two hours, 27 minutes, 18 seconds.

Japan's Kiyoko Shimahara, who won August's Hokkaido Marathon, finished runner-up up in 2:28:51.

(Reporting by Alastair Himmer. Editing by Peter Rutherford. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)