Russian-born McFadden (pictured top), 24 today, winner of three gold medals at last year's Paralympics, crossed the line here to secure her first London Marathon win in a new course record of 1 hour 46min 02sec after claiming the Boston Marathon title in 1:45:24 just six days earlier.

"This race was tough," said McFadden, who dedicated her race today to the victims of the fatal explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday (April 15).

"It's always tough because of the course, it's very flat, there's only a few hills where one can attack so you have to play it very smart.

"I knew this race was going to be very tough and I knew it was going to come to a sprint finish.

"But I'm extremely happy to finally win my first London Marathon.

"Everything went perfectly."


Following her to the finish was fellow American and Paralympic champion in the T54 5,000 metres at Beijing 2008 Amanda McGrory, who claimed the second spot in 1:46:04, with Switzerland's three-time Paralympian Sandra Graf coming in nearly two seconds later to end her race in 1:48:01.

Shelly Woods, Britain's defending London Marathon champion - she won by almost four minutes in 2012 - finished in a disappointing fourth place.

Meanwhile, three-time Paralympic champion Fearnley rubbed salt into old wounds when he sneaked up on Weir, who had been leading into the final quarter of a mile, to win the men's race in a fantastic sprint finish.

Fearnley, 32, crossed the line in 1:31:29 followed a split second later by Switzerland's Marcel Hug, with South African Ernst van Dyk, the winner of a record nine wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon, finishing in 1:31:30.


"That was a good, good push," Fearnley said.

"Normally I have some good bits and bad bits but this time it was all good bits.

"I felt this morning that I had a good push in me and I did."

He went onto to say that the competition was tough but explained that today was his moment to shine.

"It was a close finish," Fearnley added.

"Huggy Bear [Hug] is a great athlete.

"I finished a couple of metres behind him to take bronze in London [2012] so it is nice.

"Any one of us – the six or eight guys that were at the finish – could have won it on any other day.

"I'm just grateful that today was my time.

"To be up against Dave [Weir], he's a pretty imposing guy.

"Through the last few months he's just dominated us through the Paralympics so it is nice to get a win."


Six-time London Marathon winner Weir finished in fifth place in 1:31:31 in what he called a "tough day at the office" but took the defeat graciously saying he will "bounce back".

"I felt okay through the course," he explained.

"I am happy.

"You can't win all the time.

"I will bounce back.

"This year will be one of picking and choosing which races I want to do.

"I always do that at the end of a four-year cycle.

"I am 34 and have to save my body if I am to carry on for the next couple of years and last year was a tough year with the pressure of doing well."

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