Lel triumphs in men's London Marathon

The 28-year-old Kenyan, victorious two years ago, won a sprint finish in a time of two hours seven minutes 41 seconds after pulling clear of Abderrahim Goumri and defending champion Felix Limo down the Mall.

Moroccan runner Goumri, making his debut over the distance, finished three seconds behind Lel, with Limo clocking 2hr 7min 47sec.

Lel's victory came on a morning of great disappointment for pre-race favourites Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat, who failed to live up to their star billings.

Aiming for a first-ever victory on his third appearance, Gebrselassie sensationally dropped out shortly before the 20-mile mark.

"I just don't know - maybe it was something I drank," said the Ethiopian after his shock exit.

Tergat, 37, was still in contention until the last mile, when he failed to match the pace of his younger rivals and drifted backwards to finish sixth in 2hr 8min 6sec.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Dan Robinson was the first Briton to break the tape, finishing ninth in a time of 2hr 14min 14sec.

Jon Brown expected to lead the home challenge was a non-starter, pulling out of the race early in the morning after a bout of sickness which began 24 hours earlier.