Eliud Kipchoge gets first place in the men’s Olympic marathon final in Sapporo | AFP-JIJI
Marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge won the Olympic men’s marathon with a commanding performance.
He clocked 2hr 08min 38sec in the marathon to win his second straight gold medal and thus, cementing his place among the all-time greats of the sport.
With his outstanding performance, Kipchoge, 36, has now won four Olympic medals overall, having also won gold in 2016, 5,000m silver in 2008 and bronze in 2004.
“I was really happy, I can’t describe it,” Kipchoge said while speaking on his win.
“I think I fulfilled the legacy by winning the marathon for the second time. That’s my total happiness, my inspiration for the next generation.”
The superstar athlete was also grateful that the Tokyo Olympics was held despite the setback caused by COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“It means a lot to me, especially at this hard time. Last year was postponed, and now it has happened,” he said.
,Kipchoge in the 2019 marathon made history as he became the first man recorded to run a full marathon (42.195km) under two hours. He clocked 1:59:40 in the race that was held in Vienna, Austria.
The sub-two hour marathon was a challenge sponsored by British Chemical Company-INEOS to beat his earlier held record of 2:01:39. The project was under the slogan ‘No Human is Limited’.
