Masterful Kipchoge destroys his rivals to retain marathon crown
Eliud Kipchoge produced a masterclass to retain his marathon title on the final day of the Tokyo Games.
The 36-year-old obliterated his rivals in brutally hot conditions to triumph in 2hr 8min 38sec.
A number of leading athletes struggled – 31 of the 105 starters failed to finish – and there were dramatic scenes as some collapsed on course, but Kipchoge was a picture of serenity throughout.
Having positioned himself at the front from the outset, he steadily ground his rivals into submission in the second half of the race before injecting a killer burst of pace that no one could handle with around seven miles remaining.
Kipchoge was adding successive marathon titles to his 5,000m bronze from 2004 and silver from 2008. Asked if he had any thoughts about retirement, he was non-committal, saying: “I’m going back now, I will talk with my coach, see what are the opportunities in the world. Now I want to enjoy winning here.”
There were unusual scenes as the three-man chasing group approached the finish line. Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono led but, behind him, Abdi Nageeye, of Holland, turned round several times to encourage Bashir Abdi, of Belgium. Both were born in Somalia and remain friends.
As Nageeye sprinted past Cherono for silver, Abdi responded to the urgings and took bronze.
Hampered by niggling injuries in the build-up, Britain’s Callum Hawkins dropped out soon after halfway. Ben Connors also failed to finish, while Chris Thompson finished 54th.