BOSTON — American Kara Goucher ripped off the gloves she wore for the first 25 miles and threw them to the pavement.

The sprint was on.

Kenya's Salina Kosgei outkicked Goucher and defending champion Dire Tune in the last mile of the Boston Marathon yesterday, going back and forth with Tune in the final blocks of Boylston Street to win the closest women's finish in event history.

Ethiopia's Deriba Merga won the men's race, with Ryan Hall picking up another third place for the Americans — their best showing in more than 20 years.

"I've never experienced anything like this, and I've been in the Rose Parade. So that's a pretty big deal," said Hall, who threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game over the weekend."

Hall took the early lead with a blistering pace and was shoulder-to-shoulder with the leaders until they passed from Wellesley into Newton, with about 10 miles to go. Merga had pulled away by the bottom of Heartbreak Hill, winning in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 42 seconds — 50 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Daniel Rono of Kenya, with Hall another 8 seconds back.

Merga's victory gave Ethiopia its second in five years; Kenya had won in 16 of the past 18 years, and will have to be satisfied with a women's title — its seventh since the turn of the century.

"Boston is one of the biggest marathons in the world," Merga said. "Because of that, our people are very happy."

The men seemed undaunted by a stiff headwind that helped slow the women to a methodical pace — 6:28 for the first mile. Though the elite women were given a half-hour head start, Merga began passing the stragglers as he left Wellesley.

Goucher led the three women as they crossed above the MassPike into Kenmore Square with 1 mile to go, but the two Africans began to pull away from her as they dueled. One year after Tune outkicked Alevtina Biktimirova to win by 2 seconds in what was then the closest women's finish in history, the Ethiopian traded places with Kosgei several times on the last long stretch to the tape.

"I was a sprinter before," Kosgei said. "So I know about the sprinting."