Eliud Kipchoge reclaims London Marathon title
Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge won his third London Marathon on Sunday, holding off a strong challenge from Ethiopia’s Tota Shura Kitata in the final stages of the race.
Kipchoge, a winner in London in 2015 and 2016, was however the man to beat in a star-studded lineup.
Among the starters in the elite men’s race was last year’s winner Daniel Wanjiru, 5,000m and 10,000 multiple Olympic champion Mo Farah, former world champion Abel Kirui and serial track champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.
KENYAN DOUBLE
Kipchoge won the race in a time of 02:04:27 ahead of Kitata (2:05:00) and Farah (02:06:32) who finished second and third respectively. Farah’s time broke a 33-year-old British record.
The 33-year-old Kipchoge’s victory completed an impressive Kenyan double after Vivian Cheruiyot had earlier on dominated and won the women’s race in warm conditions.
Kipchoge, who won his maiden London Marathon race in 2015 in 2:04:42, got to earn the winners prize package of Sh 5.5 million and an additional Sh 10million for running sub 2:05:00.
RESULTS
1. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) – 02:04:27
2. Tola Kitata (Ethiopia) – 02:05:00
3. Mo Farah (Great Britain) – 02:06:32
4.Abel Kirui (Kenya) – 02:07:07
5. Bedan Karoki (Kenya) – 02:08:34
6. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) – 02:08:53
7. Lawrence Cherono (Kenya) – 02:09:25
8. Daniel Wanjiru (Kenya) – 02:10:35