CHICAGO -- Suguru Osako stormed to a Japan record at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, clocking 2 hours 5 minutes 50 seconds to finish third in the men's race.
The 27-year-old shaved 21 seconds off the previous record, which was set by Yuta Shitara in the Tokyo Marathon in February.
Britain's Mo Farah won the race with a time of 2:05:11, followed by Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia.
"The race got tough [toward the end] -- I was saying to myself, 'It's the last mile, just one more mile,'" Osako said after the race.
Osako stayed in the lead pack until shortly before the 40-kilometer mark, and endured a fierce battle for the third spot.
"I believe I proved that a Japanese runner can contend for a title," Osako added.
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