Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge smashed the world marathon record hold at the 42nd edition of the Berlin Marathon that was held on Sunday (16) in Berlin, Germany.
Kipchoge who has won nine out of ten marathons that he has participated in thrashed the marathon record that was set in 2014 by Dennis Kimetto who ran 2:02.57 with the new marathon world record.
The 33-year-old broke the previous world record set in Berlin by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014 by 1 minute and 18 seconds.
Already the winner of his last eight marathons – including Olympic gold and three victories in London – the only thing to have eluded Kipchoge was Kimetto’s world record of 2:02.57 that was set in German capital in 2014.
Kipchoge, did not just beat it, he destroyed it. Shattered it. Put it so far out of reach it is difficult to envisage anyone surpassing it for years to come.
His incredible winning time of 2:01.39 was a full 78 seconds better than the previous mark – the first time the world record had been lowered by more than a minute in a race for 39 years and the single greatest improvement for 41 years.
“I lack words to describe this day,” Kipchoge said after becoming the first person to finish a marathon in less than 2 hours and 2 minutes. “I have run 2.00, 2.01, 2.03, 2.04 and 2.05. The next season I want to run 2.02.”
“They say you miss two times but you can’t miss the third time,” he said in reference to his two previous failed attempts to break the world record in Berlin.
The Kenyan defended his 2017 title in the German capital, pulling ahead of other runners early on amid perfect conditions. Mild autumn temperatures and little to no wind gave the runners an advantage over last year, when rain slowed the race.
The double Olympic and world medallist over 5,000m, it’s over the marathon distance that Kipchoge has flourished in recent years. He has now broken 2hr 5min on eight occasions and last year came within 25 seconds of becoming the first man to go below two hours under controlled conditions as part of a Nike project.
Berlin debutant and birthday boy Amos Kipruto came second in 2:06.23, followed by a third Kenyan, former world-record holder Wilson Kipsang, with 2:06.48.
Shogo Nakamura of Japan narrowly missed setting a new national record with a time of 2:08.16.
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