Mutiso Munyao gives Kenya another London Marathon win after tribute to Kiptum

LONDON (AP) — Alexander Mutiso Munyao delivered another win for Kenya on a day the London Marathon remembered last year's champion Kelvin Kiptum.

A race that started with a period of applause for Kiptum, who was killed in a car crash in Kenya in February, ended with his countryman and friend running alone down the final straight in front of Buckinhgam Palace to earn an impressive victory in his first major marathon.

Mutiso Munyao said he spoke to Kiptum after his win in London last year and that the world-record holder is always on his mind when he's competing.

“He’s in my thoughts every time, because he was my great friend,” Mutiso Munyao said. “It was a good day for me.”

It was a Kenyan double on the day, with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir pulling away late to win the women’s race and cement her status as the favorite to defend her gold in Paris.

With around 400 meters (yards) to go to, Jepchirchir left world-record holder Tigst Assefa and two other rivals behind to sprint alone down the final stretch. She finished in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 16 seconds, with Assefa in second and Joyciline Jepkosgei in third.

Her time was more than 4 minutes slower than Assefa’s world record set in Berlin last year, but it was the fastest time ever in a women-only marathon, beating the mark of 2:17:01 set by Mary Keitany in London in 2017. The elite women’s field in London started about 30 minutes ahead of the elite men.

For Jepchirchir, though, the main goal was to show Kenya's selectors for the Olympic team that she should be on the team again in Paris.

“So I was trying to work extra hard to (be able to) defend my title in the Olympics,” she said.

Mutiso Munyao denied 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele a first London Marathon victory by pulling away from the Ethiopian great with about 3 kilometers to go Sunday for his biggest career win.

Mutiso Munyao and Bekele were in a two-way fight for the win until the Kenyan made his move as they ran along the River Thames, quickly building a six-second gap that only grew as he ran toward the finish.

“At 40 kilometers, when my friend Bekele was left (behind), I had confidence that I can win this race,” the 27-year-old Mutiso Munyao said.

He finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 1 second, with Bekele finishing 14 seconds behind. Emile Cairess of Britain was third, 2:45 back.

Bekele, the Ethiopian former Olympic 10,000 and 5,000-meter champion, was also the runner-up in London in 2017 but has never won the race.

Mutiso Munyao is relatively unknown in marathon circles and said he wasn't sure whether this win would be enough to make Kenya's Olympic team for Paris.

“I hope for the best,” he said. “If they select me I will go and work for it.”

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Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya reacts after winning the women's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 21, 2024.(AP Photo/David Cliff)

Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the women's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 21, 2024.(AP Photo/David Cliff)

Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the women's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 21, 2024.(AP Photo/David Cliff)

Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya reacts after winning the men's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 21, 2024.(AP Photo/David Cliff)

Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the men's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 21, 2024.(AP Photo/David Cliff)

Runners including Tamirat Tola, Kenenisa Bekele and Norman Shreeve at the start of the men's elite race at the London Marathon, London, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Voters in Panama on Sunday waited to hear who will be their next president after an election consumed by unfolding drama surrounding the country’s former president, even though he was not on the ballot.

As the sweltering sun beat down over the normally sleepy Central American nation, voters lined up outside polling stations. Eager for change after months of political turmoil and protests, Panamanians weighed promises of economic prosperity and migratory crackdowns against a corruption scandal.

“Panama’s election will be one of the most complex in its modern history. The vote is marked by increased political fragmentation and social discontent under outgoing President Laurentino Cortizo,” said Arantza Alonso, senior analyst for the Americas at the risk consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft, before the polls opened.

The presidential race had been in uncertain waters until Friday morning, when Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that leading presidential contender José Raúl Mulino was permitted to run. It said he was eligible despite allegations that his candidacy wasn’t legitimate because he wasn’t elected in a primary.

Mulino joined the race late, replacing former President Ricardo Martinelli as the candidate for the Achieving Goals party. The fiery Martinelli was barred from running in March after he was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering.

Martinelli, a business tycoon who was president of Panama from 2009 to 2014, dominated much of the race. He campaigned for his former running mate from inside the walls of the Nicaraguan Embassy, where he took refuge in February after receiving political asylum. On Sunday morning, Mulino strolled into the Nicaraguan Embassy trailed by photographers and wrapped Martinelli in a big hug, saying, “Brother, we’re going to win!”

While lacking Martinelli’s spunk, Mulino coasted on his connection to the ex-president. He is rarely seen without his blue “Martinelli Mulino 2024” cap and promised to help Martinelli if elected, a pledge welcomed by the ex-president’s supporters.

Panamanians are largely fatigued by the endemic graft that plagues the country. Nonetheless, many are willing to overlook Martinelli’s prison sentence, a 2017 arrest in Florida and other corruption scandals in favor of the humming economy seen during his presidency.

Among them was Juan José Tinoco, voting from his working-class area of small, concrete houses surrounded by extravagant skyscrapers. The 63-year-old bus driver said he planned to vote for Mulino because it was the closest thing he could get to Martinelli, adding that he had earned a decent amount of money during the former president’s time in power.

“We have problems with health services, education, we have garbage in the streets ... and corruption that never goes away,” Tinoco said. “We have money here. This is a country that has lots of wealth, but we need a leader who dedicates himself to the needs of Panama.”

Mulino promised to usher in another wave of economic prosperity, and stop migration through the Darien Gap, the perilous jungle region overlapping Colombia and Panama that was traversed by half a million migrants last year.

While Mulino’s message resonated with many voters, others like 68-year-old Uber driver Emanuel Romero agreed the country needed change but with someone new at the helm.

Romero’s car was painted with banners of Ricardo Lombana, a candidate who has decried corruption and sought to earn the vote of young Panamanians eager for change.

Mulino led polls with around 35% of the vote, while his competitors lagged behind. Former President Martín Torrijos trailed in second at 15%, while former presidential candidates Rómulo Roux and Lombana scooped up 14% and 12% respectively, according to a March poll by the Panamanian Institute of Civic Studies.

“If we want to see more of the same — corruption and our country falling apart — let’s vote for the same people. I will vote for someone independent, and I trust he’ll do things in a better way that will save the country,” Romero said.

No matter who takes the reins, Panama's next president faces an uphill battle, on the economy especially. Last year, the Central American nation was roiled for weeks by mass anti-government protests, which came to encapsulate deeper discontent among citizens.

The protests targeted a government contract with a copper mine, which critics said endangered the environment and water at a time when drought has gotten so bad that it has effectively handicapped trade transit through the Panama Canal.

While many celebrated in November when the country’s Supreme Court declared the contract unconstitutional, the mine closure, the recent slowdown of economic growth and slashed Canal transit will put Panama's new leader in a tight spot.

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Associated Press journalist Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

A screen displays the vote count after the general elections polls closed at the electoral tribunal in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Isaac Ortega)

Supporters of Achieving Goals presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino celebrate early results after the closing of polls for general elections in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An electoral worker holds a ballot as he counts them after general elections polls closed in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An electoral worker empties a ballot box to count after general elections polls closed in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An Indigenous woman votes during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A man votes assisted by a woman during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An Indigenous woman votes during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A girl waits for an adult to vote during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Voters check sample ballots on a polling station's wall during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Another Way presidential candidate Ricardo Lombana, center, arrives to vote during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Voters gather outside a polling station during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Democratic Change presidential candidate Romulo Roux votes during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Isaac Ortega)

Martin Torrijos, a former president and presidential candidate for the Popular Party leaves after voting during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Carmen Bernal)

Achieving Goals presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino holds his ballot during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A view of the Casco Viejo neighborhood backdropped by the skyline of Panama City before polling stations open during a general election in Panama City, early Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

People line up to vote outside a polling station during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An electoral worker sticks a ballot on a polling station's wall to use as sample during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A voter holds his ballots after choosing his preferences during a general election in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

FILE - Migrants heading north line up to take a boat in Bajo Chiquito in the Darien province of Panama, Oct. 5, 2023, after walking across the Darien Gap from Colombia. Migration has increased through the Darien jungle, on the border with Colombia, where more than half a million people crossed last year. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File)

FILE - Banana vendors wait for customers at the Merca Panama wholesale market in Panama City, April 30, 2024. Panama grew 7.3% last year — the largest expansion in Latin America — but the Gross Domestic Product is expected to barely grow 2.5% in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - Martin Torrijos, a former president and the presidential candidate for the Popular Party, flashes vee finger signs during a campaign rally in Panama City, April 27, 2024. Torrijos, 60 years old and son of the general and leader Omar Torrijos, presents himself as the candidate of experience. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - Another Way presidential candidate Ricardo Lombana speaks to supporters during a campaign rally, in Panama City, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Lombana, a 50-year-old lawyer, emerged with strength in the 2019 elections and finished in third place as an independent. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - Romulo Roux, presidential candidate for Democratic Change, addresses supporters during a closing campaign rally in Panama City, April 28, 2024. Roux, a 59-year-old former chancellor in the Martinelli government, promises to change the Constitution to dismantle the structures that facilitate corruption. (AP Photo/Agustin Herrera, File)

FILE - Supporters of Achieving Goals presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino attend a campaign rally in Panama City, April 28, 2024. Mulino has promised to usher in a humming economy and stop migration through the Darien Gap, traversed by half a million migrants last year. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - Presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino holds his granddaughter Sofia accompanied by his daughter Monique, Sofia's mother, during a campaign event, in Panama City, April 26, 2024. Mulino replaced former president Ricardo Martinelli as the candidate for the Achieving Goals party. Martinelli was barred from running in March, because the ex-president was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

FILE - Former President Ricardo Martinelli sends a video message from inside the Nicaraguan embassy to supporters, during a campaign rally for presidential frontrunner Jose Raul Mulino, in Panama City, April 28, 2024. Martinelli has been campaigning for his former running mate from inside the walls of Nicaragua’s embassy, where he took refuge in February after receiving political asylum. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

This combo of images shows Panama's 2024 presidential frontrunners from a field of 7, from left; Jose Raul Mulino of the Achieving Goals Party, on May 1; Ricardo Lombana of the Another Way Party, on April 30; Romulo Roux of the Democratic Change Party, on April 28; and former President Martin Torrijos of the Popular Party, on April 27, all in Panama City. Panamanians will elect their new president on May 5th. (AP Photos/Files)

A Panamanian flag flies on Ancon hill backdropped by the skyline of Panama City, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Panamanians will elect a new president on May 5th. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)