New Delhi: Eluid Kipchoge, the king of long-distance running, did it again in Berlin. He shattered his own men’s marathon world record by 30 seconds. He clocked a distance of 42.195 km in just 2:01.09 hours. While his fans expected him to break the two hours barrier in an official race, he gave them something to cherish.
The 37-year-old athlete crushed the track in Berlin and recorded his 15th win in 17 career marathons. This race has arguably marked him as the greatest marathon runner of all time. His split time recoded 61:18 for the second half after 59:51 in the first half of the race. Though not the best of his split times, he still managed to break the world record with a fine margin and beat fellow Kenyan Mark Korir by 4:49.
Berlin has been a place to break marathon records. The last eight men’s marathon world records have been broken in the city itself. Flat tracks and appropriate temperatures have aided athletes to go past their previous records.
Kipchoge, who is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, has run under 2-hour time once in Vienna. He clocked 1:59:40:2 but it was an unofficial marathon conducted by INEOS, where ideal conditions for best marathons were created so that someone could go par the 2-hour barrier and the Kenyan legend did it.
After winning the Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge said, “I planned to go out fast in the first half. I thought try to run fast. It was a marvellous performance. My legs and my body still feel young. But the most important thing is my mind, and that also feels fresh and young. I am so happy to break the world record.” He has previously said that he is aiming to win gold in the Paris 2024 Olympic games and become the first marathon runner to win three Olympic medals.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian athlete Tigist Assefa won the women’s race by clocking 2:15:37, which is the third-fastest time in history.
