Kipchoge ran in an impressive manner to his second Olympic gold. / Picture: APA / AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
Eliud Kipchoge defended his Rio title in the Sapporo Olympic Marathon. The world record holder from Kenya, 36, won in hot and humid conditions in 2:08:38 hours. He is only the third runner in history to repeat an Olympic victory over the 42.195 km. Before that, the Ethiopian Abebe Bikila (1960/64) and Waldemar Cierpinski from the GDR (1976/80) had succeeded.
Says the Eldoret superstar, “I think I fulfilled my legacy with a second win in a row. I hope this helps inspire others. “
“Wanted to test my fitness”
As predicted, Kipchoge had broken away from his opponents from kilometer 30 and stormed to a superior success. Another brilliant act after the world record (2:01:39 hours 2018 in Berlin) and the breakthrough of the two-hour sound barrier in Vienna in October 2019 (1:59:40 hours). “I wanted to show the world that this is a wonderful race. I wanted to test my fitness, wanted to test how I felt. I wanted to show that we can have hope for the future. ”When asked why he kept smiling during the race, he said:“ That smile is happiness. They say that you have to be happy to enjoy this world. ”Observers said it was like a walk for him.
Austria's record holder Peter Herzog finished 61st in 2:22:15 hours. An old injury made itself felt at Lemawork Ketema, he gave up because of pain.
Herzog, ÖLV record holder with 2:10:06 hours since October 2020, and Ketema found themselves in chasing groups. Herzog finished the half marathon mark with 1:07:44 hours (+2: 31 minutes). The army athlete, 34, said that this time was not what he was capable of, but it was an incredibly hard journey for him. “It got very tough very early on, I noticed as early as ten kilometer that it was going to be very long to the finish line. It was the longest ordeal I have ever suffered on a sporting level. Overall, I am satisfied, even if the time is far from what I can do. “(Red.)
