The Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum shattered the marathon world record in Chicago and dethroned his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge. The 23-year-old ran in the US metropolis in 2:00:35 hours, 34 seconds faster than exceptional runner Kipchoge in Berlin a year ago.
“I’m so happy. I wasn’t prepared for this. But I knew that one day I would be the world record holder,” said 23-year-old Kiptum, who beat the previous record by 39 seconds. Last February he ran second on the all-time best list in Valencia in 2:01:25 hours.
Sifan Hassan attacks the women’s world record, which is only two weeks old – but still unsuccessfully
This meant that both marathon world records were clearly beaten within 14 days. On September 24th in Berlin, Ethiopian Tigist Assefa clocked 2:11:53 hours, more than two minutes below the previous mark set by Brigid Kosgei from Kenya (2:14:04).
Kipchoge, 38, who crossed the finish line two weeks ago as Berlin winner after 2:02:42 hours, remains for now the only person who has completed a marathon under two hours – albeit in a race that did not conform to the rules: it was in Vienna The two-time Olympic champion ran 1:59:40 hours four years ago with an artificial slipstream and changing pacemakers.
Kiptum, who was well ahead of second-placed Benson Kipruto (also Kenya/2:04:02) in Chicago, now came surprisingly close to this in a record-eligible race. The women’s race in Chicago was also immensely fast: The Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan was on course for a world record and ultimately won in 2:13:44 hours – almost two minutes faster than Paula Radcliffe’s European record and the second best time in history.
The fabulous times are also the result of the new material that the world’s largest running shoe manufacturers have developed in recent years. Assefa was in Berlin with a new model from her German supplier Adidas, Kiptum and Hassan now countered in the new premium product from the US giant Nike. The World Athletics Association has regulated the construction of high-tech shoes in recent years, but development is still making rapid progress.