Kenyan marathoner Kelvin Kiptum delivered a historic performance at the Chicago Marathon, breaking the men’s marathon world record with a stunning time of 2:00:35 on Sunday, obliterating the previous mark held by Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds.
Kiptum, who had already set the London Marathon course record earlier in the year, surged ahead after the 35-kilometre mark, leaving the crowd in awe as he crossed the finish line with arms raised in triumph. His record-setting pace placed him three minutes and 27 seconds ahead of compatriot Benson Kipruto, who came second. Belgian Bashir Abdi finished third with a time of 2:04:32.
Despite the spectacular feat, Kiptum admitted the world record wasn’t originally part of his plan.
“I feel so happy. I wasn’t prepared. A world record was not in my mind today,” he said at the finish line.
With this achievement, Kiptum cements his status as the next great force in long-distance running, stepping out of the shadow of legendary compatriot Eliud Kipchoge and taking marathon racing into a new era.
