Sunday | September 25, 2022

Double-olympic champion Eluid Kipchoge sets a new world record of 2:01:09 in the Berlin Marathon in Germany on Sunday.

The 37 years old Kenyan phenomenonal athlete broke his 2018 record that he ran in 2:01:39. Kipchoge started well with the pacesetter until the defending champion Ethiopian Guye Adola dropped somewhat midway in the marathon.

Then he started to break away with another Adola compatriot Andamlak Belihu who also dropped off around the 23km.

By the 35km distance it was no longer a question of who the winner was going to be; it was, rather, whether Kipchoge was going to smash his own global record. And he did it with splendid aplomb and emphatic style.

On the podium to receive his honours, he stood side-by-side with his country man, Mark Korir (2:05:58) who came 2nd and the Ethiopian Tadu Abate who finished 3rd with 2:06:28 on the clock.

Adola did not even break the top-10 mark. However, Belihu, for all his challenge he threw to Kipchoge for most of the race, managed to record a race completion-time of 2:06:40, placing him forth on the standings. His sterling courage was not good enough to land him on the most envied premium medal pedestal unfortunately.

After all it is said and done, there it is. The extraordinary Eluid Kipchoge now holds a new world record in the 42km marathon entrenched today in European land.