Jumma and Mutai retain their titles

ATHLETICS BELFAST MARATHONETHIOPIA'S MARASHET Jumma smashed the women's record by more than two minutes in yesterday's Belfast City Marathon.

Jumma's time of 2:39:22 beat the previous best of 2:41:33, set by Lemma Urge in 2005. The Ethiopian also was the first woman since Trudi Thompson in 2003 to retain her Belfast title.

It was a clean sweep of champions all round, as Kenya's John Mutai also held on to the men's crown - even though his time of 2:16:31 was slower than he recorded 12 months ago. Mutai, however, was more than seven minutes ahead of his nearest rivals, as Poland's Bodhan Dziuba came second in 2:23:44, followed by Vyalcheslav Prikhadko, of the Ukraine, 2:24:21.

Donegal's Helena Crossan was runner-up in the women's race, with a time of 2:55:12, closely followed by Cookstown's Karen Alexander, who clocked 2:56:01 to come home in third.

Top local male finisher was Tommy Hughes of Magherafeld, twice a winner in 1988 and again in 1998, who came in sixth, in 2:28:38, 10 minutes ahead of Dungannon's Delfin Pimentell.