Kipchoge smashes world record

Kenyan takes 78 seconds off the previous marathon mark with ease

KENYA’S Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge pulverised the marathon world record with a blistering run yesterday, slicing a staggering 78 seconds off the previous best to land the one major running crown that had eluded him.

The 33-year-old, widely seen as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, ran an official time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds on a sunny day along the flat inner-city course, smashing Dennis Kimetto’s previous record that had stood since 2014.

Fellow Kenyan Gladys Cherono won the women’s race with a course record and best time of the year of 2:18:11, leaving Ethiopians Ruti Aga and pre-race favourite Tirunesh Dibaba in second and third place respectively.

Kipchoge’s run was the biggest improvement on the marathon mark since Australian Derek Clayton took almost two and a half minutes off the record in 1967.

“I lack words to describe this day,” said a beaming Kipchoge, a former world champion over 5 000 metres and marathon gold medallist at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. “I am really grateful, happy to smash the world record.

“They say you can miss it twice but not a third time. So I want to thank everyone who has helped me,” said Kipchoge, who had won in Berlin in 2015 and 2017.

“I am just so incredibly happy to have finally run the world record as I never stopped having belief in myself. Running a sub two hours two minutes was simply amazing and I believe I can still go below that with such good conditions.”

Kipchoge started off at a sizzling pace.

After quickly shaking off his biggest rival, Wilson Kipsang, and with virtually no wind, it was clear Kipchoge’s only opponent would be the clock.

His three pacemakers were pushed to the limit to keep the tempo high as Kipchoge dipped well below world-record time at the halfway mark.

Yet even after the last pacemaker peeled off after 25 kilometres, Kipchoge showed no sign of slowing as thousands of Berliners lining the streets egged him on.

Berlin has now been the stage for the last six men’s world records over the distance.

“It was hard running alone, but I was confident.

“I ran my own race, I trusted my trainers, my programme and my coach.

“That’s what pushed me in the last kilometres,” Kipchoge said.

Kipchoge kept up the pace to sprint through the Brandenburg Gate and complete a world record race that cements his reputation as one of the greatest runners of all time.