Kenya: Eliud Kipchoge scores new marathon world record 2:01:39s
The new Marathon World Record is now 2:01:39s. 33-year-old Eliud Kipchoge, widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, ran an official time of 2 hours 1 minutes and 39s, on Sunday during the Berlin Marathon.
2 hours 1 minutes and 39s, That’s how long, or little, it took Kenyan super runner Eliud Kipchoge to cover the 42.2km of the Berlin Marathon. With his performance, the 33-year-old beat the previous record set by fellow Kenyan runner Dennis Kimetto in 2014.Kenya completed their podium sweep with Amos Kipruto in second place more than five minutes later, and Kipsang, a former world record holder back in 2013, in third.
Kipchoge, 33, is regarded as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era. He burst onto the international sporting scene at the age of 18, winning the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in 2003.
Since debuting in the event in Hamburg in 2013, Kipchoge has won 11 of the 12 marathons he has run.
He has won the Berlin Marathon and the London Marathon three times each, and holds the record for each course. His only marathon defeat so far was in Berlin in 2013, against former world record holder and fellow Kenyan, Wilson Kipsang.
| Marathon | Result |
|---|---|
| 2013 Hamburg | 1st |
| 2013 Berlin | 2nd |
| 2014 Rotterdam | 1st |
| 2014 Chicago | 1st |
| 2015 London | 1st |
| 2015 Berlin | 1st |
| 2016 London | 1st |
| 2016 Rio Olympics | 1st |
| 2017 Berlin | 1st |
| 2018 London | 1st |
| 2018 Berlin | 1st |
Kenya was on fire in Berlin
Fellow Kenyan Gladys Cherono won the women’s race with a course record and best time of the year of 2:18:10, becoming the fourth fastest woman in history.
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Sources: Aljazeera, Eyewitness News, BBC
