On a Sunday under the usual heavy rain in London, Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum set the second best mark in the history of marathons and established himself in the third major of the year with a time of 2:01:25, just 16 seconds above Eliud Kipchoge’s record in Berlin 2022.
Kiptum, who had triumphed last December in Valencia with a record time for a rookie, managed to break away from the peloton of nine runners at kilometer 30 and complete the second half of the race in less than an hour: 59:47. The two keys explain the final distance from his compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor, second with a personal record of 2:04:23, and in relation to Timorat Tola, the Ethiopian who stepped on the final line, third for the first time in a big race, at 2:04:59.
In addition to the feat of the 23-year-old Kenyan, the 43rd edition of the event in the English capital offered other condiments. On one hand, the triple Olympic medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters Kenenisa Bekele was part of the front group and offered competition until he retired after crossing kilometer 25.
On the other hand, local and worldwide views of athletics were, predictably, embedded in Mo Farah. In his last marathon, he reached the finish line ninth (2h 10:28), being the second best Briton behind Emile Cairess (sixth, 2:08:07). “I expected to run a little faster, but my body couldn’t do what it knew. Then you realize that the decision I made was the right one, " confessed the quadruple Olympic champion, who will close his professional cycle in September, also in England, at the Great North Run in Newcastle.
Before, in the women’s competition, Sifan Hassan had moved her epic from the tracks to the asphalt. The 30-year-old Dutch woman, in her first marathon, was crowned in London after a memorable comeback and an impressive final sprint. Against all odds, she won in 2:18:34 after braking during the first stage due to discomfort in her left leg and taking advantage of the premature retirement of Brigid Kosgei, owner of the world record. Hassan beat Alemu Megertu (Ethiopia) by three seconds and Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya) by four seconds.
To measure the feat, it is enough to listen to her statement at the end of the test. “I was scared about the marathon. I didn’t think I could finish it and I ended up winning”, stated the gold medalist in Tokyo 2021 in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. She also acknowledged that she cried before racing and felt “stupid” because of the decision to have entered this contest.
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