BERLIN – He did it again.
Two-time Olympic Champion Eliud Kipchoge improved his own world record in Sunday’s Berlin Marathon.
The Kenyan star hit 2 hours 1 minute 9 seconds to pass 30 seconds from his previous best of 2:01:39 set on the same course in 2018.
Kipchoge, 37, said: “My legs and body are still young. “But the most important thing is my mind, and that also makes me feel fresh and young. I’m very happy to have broken the world record.”
Ethiopia’s Assefa tiger unexpectedly won the women’s race with a time of 2:15:37 – 18 minutes faster than the time she had run before. That was the third fastest time ever.
Assefa said: “I am not afraid of my opponents, even though they are faster than me.
Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru finished second in her debut at 2:18:00 – the second fastest debut ever run – just ahead of Kenya’s Tigist Abayechew in 2:18:03.
Conditions in the German capital are ideal for quick races – cool, around 52 degrees (11 degrees Celsius) after a night of showers, no rain and no wind. Some 45,527 runners from 157 countries have signed up for the first Berlin Marathon without restrictions since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The number of participants was nearly halved under strict restrictions last year, and the 2020 race has been postponed due to the pandemic.
Kipchoge set off at furious speed on Sunday, passing the first 10km in just 28:23 and hitting 42:32 at the 15k mark, hinting at a sub-two-hour endeavor. He broke the two-hour barrier in Vienna in 2019 when he ran 1:59:40 in a race that didn’t fit the rules.
Defending champion Guye Adola and fellow Ethiopian Andamlak Belihu managed to keep up their initial pace, but Adola backed off a few meters as Kipchoge was hitting a kilometer distance between 2:47 and 2:50.
Kipchoge and Belihu finished the half marathon in just 59:51. Adola and Kenyan athletes Abel Kipchumba, Mark Korir and Bethwel Yegon followed in 1:01:25.
Kipchoge said: “I plan to play quickly in the first half.
The pacemaker eventually dropped at the 25k mark, leaving Kipchoge alone, but Belihu kept trying.
Kipchoge slowed down a bit as it hit the 30k mark in 1:25:40. Belihu was unable to keep up and followed for 21 seconds before falling deeper.
At this stage, the only question is whether Kipchoge can break his own record. He did.
Compatriot Mark Korir was second, almost five minutes behind, followed by Ethiopian Tadu Abate. Belihu, who has been with Kipchoge the longest, finished fourth in 2:06:40.
