Source: BBC
Eliud Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic champion, smashed his own men’s marathon world record on Sunday in Berlin.
When he finished in two hours, one minute, and nine seconds, the 37-year-old Kenyan broke his previous record, which was set four years ago in the capital of Germany, by 30 seconds..
He had already lowered his fellow countryman Dennis Kimetto’s Berlin 2014 record of 2:02.57 by one minute and 20 seconds.
Eliud Kipchoge had minimized his chances of breaking the world mark in the run-up to the event.
“I’m happy with my preparation, and I think that the other people’s cooperation helped me move so swiftly. Everything depends on cooperation” he mentioned
On a cloudy day in Berlin, Kipchoge ran the first half of the 26.2-mile marathon in 59 minutes, 51 seconds, putting him in position to break the two-hour barrier for the first time in an official event. By now, Kipchoge has triumphed in 15 of his 17 marathons.
He completed a marathon in Vienna in under two hours in 2019. However, because it wasn’t an open competition and he used a group of rotating pacemakers, that wasn’t recognised as the actual world record.
When asked whether next year, he will try to run in under two hours in Berlin? Kipchoge responded, “Let’s prepare for another day.”
I must acknowledge what occurs while I celebrate this record. Simply roll and watch what happens. He added
The only competitor who could keep up with Kipchoge’s fast pace from the outset was Andamlak Belihu, but the Ethiopian fell behind after 17 kilometres.
Eliud Kipchoge has now won four times in Berlin, tying the record of the legendary Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie.
Kenyan Mark Korir, who finished four minutes and 49 seconds after Kipchoge, took second place. Tadu Abate, an Ethiopian, came in third.
Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia set a course record in the women’s event by running the third-fastest time in history in 2:15.37.
