Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum smashes marathon world record in two hours and 35 seconds

Thunderbolt in Chicago. Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum set the marathon world record by winning the Chicago event in 2h00’35”, Sunday October 8, in the north of the United States. At 23, Kelvin Kiptum, favorite on the line starting point, thus erases the previous record of his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge (2h01’09” in Berlin in 2022) and becomes the first man to go under the two hours and one minute mark, while he was only competing in his third marathon.

Already close to breaking the record in London in April, where Eliud Kipchoge was not present, Kelvin Kiptum has this time written his name in the history of the discipline. Having passed the halfway mark in one hour and 48 seconds, Kelvin Kiptum managed, as usual, to accelerate in the second half. He let go of his compatriot Daniel Mateiko at the 33rd kilometer, before flying towards the finish line, in perfect weather conditions (between 7 and 10 degrees, overcast weather, light wind).

Three victories in three marathons

“I wasn’t necessarily ready for this. I’m so happy! I knew I would break this record one day”, confided the winner to the microphone of the organizer, who therefore won his only three marathons contested, in eleven months. But the young Kenyan has never raced against Eliud Kipchoge. A clash is expected next year at the Paris Olympics, where his eldest will aim for a third consecutive title over the distance.

In the women’s race, the Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan also almost made history. In the American city, she achieved the second best time in history among women, in 2h13’44”, just two weeks after the new world record of the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa in Berlin (2h11’53” ).