1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineIsrael-Hamas warIndia elections
Sports

Kenya runners clinch double victory at London Marathon

April 22, 2018

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge has won the London Marathon for a third time; Vivian Cheruiyot, also from Kenya, won the women’s race. The UK's Mo Farah broke the British record by finishing third.

https://p.dw.com/p/2wTPx
Eliud Kipchoge and Vivian Cheruiyot smiling during the awarding ceremony
Image: picture-alliance/Xinhua/R. Washbrooke

There was a Kenyan double at this year's London Marathon as Eliud Kipchoge won first place with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 27 seconds.

He joined fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, who had earlier come in first place in the women's race with a personal best of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds.

Kipchoge finished more than half-a-minute ahead of Ethiopia's Tadelech Bekele, and two minutes ahead of British Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah.

"I came to London to run a beautiful race and today I ran a really beautiful race," said Kipchoge. "Thank you, London."

Read more: Berlin Half-Marathon 'crime' suspects freed

Despite coming in third, Farah's time was enough to earn him a British marathon-running record, even though he twice lost ground with mix-ups when picking up water bottles at drink stations. The 35-year-old, more used to distances of 5,000 and 10,000 meters than the 42.2-kilometer (26.2 miles) marathon, said the event had taken its toll.

London Marathon
The London Marathon was first held in 1981. This year's was the hottest one ever.Image: Reuters/P. Cziborra

"It's so different to the track. It's incredible. It's a different pain, different training but I've really enjoyed it. I gave it all, 110 percent as I normally do," said Farah.

Strong and steady

In the women's event, Cheruiyot beat favorite Mary Keitany, who had been leading for much of the distance but who struggled towards the end, eventually finishing fifth. Cheruiyot had held back from the leading pack of runners at first.

"I didn't go with the faster group because the faster group was quicker than I was at the start," Cheruiyot told the BBC. "I didn't want to race against anybody, I wanted to race alone. So I raced like that."

It was the hottest London Marathon since 1981, when it was first held, with temperatures at 23.2 degrees Celsius (73.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Runners, many of whom wear novelty costumes when running the marathon, had been told ahead of the event to reconsider their choice of clothing.

rc/ng (AFP, Reuters)