Berlin, Sep 25 : Kenyan professional long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge sliced half a minute from his own world record to win the Berlin Marathon, clocking a sensational 2:01:09 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday.
Unlike his last world record run, the double Olympic champion went out hard on this occasion, passing through 5km in 14:14 and 10km in 28:22 – not just comfortably inside world record pace, but also well inside a projected two-hour finish.
Kipchoge maintained that pace through half way, which was reached in 59:50, but his pace started to drop slightly from then on, and by 25km (1:11:08) his projected finish had slipped to just outside two hours – still more than a minute inside world record pace, though.
His victory – and world record – nor a formality, Kipchoge went on to cross the line in 2:01:09, taking 30 seconds off the world record he set in the German capital four years ago. Korir held on to second place in 2:05:58 and Ethiopia’s Tadu Abate came through to finish third in 2:06:28.
There was also a stunning breakthrough for Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa in the women’s race as she smashed the course record by more than two minutes with 2:15:37, becoming the third-fastest woman in history.
