Cilia 17th in Rome marathon

Charles Cilia went on to record a prestigious 17th overall placing in the Rome marathon on Sunday as the AS Libertas runner clocked 2:27.47 in his first ever marathon.

Cilia's main goal in Italy was to complete the distance within the 2:30.00 mark. In the end, he managed to achieve his target and went beyond that by over two minutes.

Ruggero Pertile was the winner on Sunday, improving his chances of making Italy's team for the Olympics. He completed the race through the city's ancient streets in 2:10.13, one minute ahead of countryman Migidio Bourifa. Kenya's Nicolas Kemboi was third, 1:22 back.

Ornella Ferrara, of Italy, won the women's race in 2:27:24.

Italy's Stefano Baldini and Daniele Caimmi have been selected to start in the Olympic marathon in August, and Sunday's win could earn the 29-year-old Pertile the third spot on the men's team.

About 9,000 runners also competed in the marathon.

Cilia, 38, is more renowned for his achievements in the half marathon.

Last month, he won the BMW Malta Half Marathon for the third consecutive year in a time of 1:08.42 - a personal best.