Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge Wins 3rd Olympic Marathon in Tokyo
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge added the Tokyo Marathon to his already remarkable profile, winning in the fourth-fastest marathon time in history.
Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, won by 33 seconds in 2:02:40. In the 23rd of 26.2 miles, he passed fellow Kenyan Amos Kipruto. Due to taking a mistake turn while following a lead vehicle early in the race, the top men lost roughly 10 seconds.
Kipchoge’s world record 2:01:39 in Berlin in 2018, Kenenisa Bekele’s 2:01:41 in Berlin in 2019, and Kipchoge’s 2:02:37 in London in 2019 were the only three quicker marathons.
Kipchoge is 37 years old. Previous world record holders Haile Gebrselassie and Wilson Kipsang both won their last marathons at the age of 36.
After finishing sixth in the 2012 Kenya Olympic Trials 5000m, Kipchoge switched to road racing. He’s won 14 of his 16 marathons since then, including two Olympic golds and a world record.
He’s also the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, which he accomplished in a staged 2019 event that wasn’t authorized for record-keeping.
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Kipchoge has now won four of the six major marathons held each year, including Tokyo, London, Berlin, and Chicago. He has never competed in the two prestigious marathons in the United States, Boston and New York City.
On April 18, the next major marathon will be held in Boston. The other major, which is usually held in the spring, will be held in the fall for the third year in a row.
Kipchoge hasn’t said when he’ll run his next marathon, but it’ll most likely be in Berlin or London this fall.
Brigid Kosgei, another Kenyan world record holder, won the women’s race in Tokyo in 2:16:02, the third-fastest time in women’s ever. She defeated Ethiopian Ashete Bekere by 1:56.
Kosgei’s 2:14:04 in Chicago in 2019 and Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 in London in 2003 are the only quicker times.
Source: NBC Sports
Abeeb Lekan Sodiq is a Managing Editor & Writer at theafricandream.net. He is as well a Graphics Designer and also known as Arakunrin Lekan.
