NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 6 – World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has saluted newly-crowned Valencia Marathon champion Kelvin Kiptum for setting the third fastest time in the history of the men’s marathon.
Kiptum, making his 42km debut in the Spanish city on Sunday, timed 2:01:53 to clinch his first ever marathon title, only 45 seconds shy of breaking Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09.
Kipchoge, who set a new world record at September’s Berlin Marathon, said he is not worried about Kiptum possibly smashing his record in the near future.
“I am not worried at all…you know, that’s sports. Today, someone else can break the world record and tomorrow, I can break it. I have broken the world record back-to-back so it is good for him to run 2:01 back-to-back,” the two-time Olympic marathon champion said.
Only Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:53) have run faster than the 23-year-old Kiptum, whose previous trip to Valencia yielded a sixth-place finish at last year’s half marathon.
Kipchoge, who also set the fastest time by a marathoner on Japanese soil at this year’s Tokyo Marathon, said it bodes well for road races when more runners are clocking fast times.
“In fact, I am the happiest man alive. I am happy that there are others who can run 2:01,” he said.
On the other hand, the ‘man of the moment’, Kiptum, has admitted that usurping his countryman as the world’s fastest marathoner is a thought too far.
Speaking in the aftermath of his awe-inspiring feat, Kiptum said there is much work for him to do before he scales the heights reached by Kipchoge.
“No, I am not ready yet (to compete against Kipchoge for the world record). From here, I want to go back to my country, train harder as I strategise and prepare for my next race,” he said.
Introspecting on the race, Kiptum admitted that the road to success had not been smoothsailing, having to deal with a groin injury in April this year.
“This was my first road race since I was here last year for the Valencia Half Marathon. I suffered a groin injury in April this year and this hampered my preparations a bit. However, I had to trained hard so I could be ready in time for Valencia,” Kiptum said.
His time is also the second fastest this year after Kipchoge smashed the world record by clocking 2:01:29 at the Berlin Marathon.
