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Gatebe shatters Comrades 'down' record

Cape Town - South Africa's David Gatebe has broken the 'down' record in this year's Comrades Marathon.

Gatebe, running for the TomTom Athletics Club, stopped the clock in a time of 5:18.19, breaking Russian Leonid Shvetsov's 2007 record of 5:20.49.

Shvetsov has since been implicated in a doping scandal.

Gatebe, who won the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in 2013, pocketed R1.14 million for his efforts - R400 000 for the victory, R400 000 for the new record, R190 000 for being the first South African home - and a bonus of R150 000* for being a South African winner put up by the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa.

Fellow South African Ludwick Mamabolo finished second in a time of 5:24.05, with another local runner Bongmusa Mthembu in third in 5:26.39.

*Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula on Sunday confirmed that the initial R100 000 on offer for any South African winner had been upped to R150 000 for breaking the record.

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