BEIJING: Ethiopian Mare Dibaba lived up to her billing as the world's fastest marathon runner by winning the gruelling event at the world championships in a sprint finish on Sunday.

Dibaba timed 2hr 27min 35sec to edge Kenya's Helah Kiprop by just one second after a sprint-off in the final 50 metres.

Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Kirwa claimed bronze in 2:27:39, while defending champion Edna Kiplagat could only finish fifth (2:28:18) behind Kenyan teammate Jemima Sumgong.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2015