High five! Eliud Kipchoge rules Berlin again.

On Sunday, Eliud Kipchoge secured his fifth Berlin Marathon victory, finishing the 42km race in two hours, two minutes, and forty-two seconds.

Ethopia’s Derseh Kindie closely trailed renowned Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge until the 32-kilometer mark from where Kipchoge was able to broaden the distance between himself and his competition, propelling himself to a solo finish. Kipchoge has previously won the Berlin Marathon four times: firstly in 2015, and subsequently in 2017, 2018, and 2022. He takes home his fifth title at this marathon, surpassing fellow Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie who previously held the record with four titles. Leading up to the competition, many enthusiasts expected Kipchoge might attempt to break his current world record of an impressive 2:01:09 – a historic accomplishment from last year’s Berlin Marathon.

At 60:22, the forefront group passed the midway point with the possibility of setting a new record. However, at the 30-kilometre mark, it became evident that Eliud Kipchoge’s record was unlikely to be beaten with their pace being about 2:01:30. After separating from Kindie, Kipchoge surged ahead and won the race, and shortly after, Vincent Kipkemboi, another similarly talented Kenyan runner finished the marathon with an impressive debut time of 2:03:13.

Kipchoge started his successful career with impressive runs in shorter events. He clinched a gold medal in 5000m at the 2003 World Championships, keeping his eyes on the prize at the Olympics. While he took home the bronze in the 5000m during the Athens 2004 Olympics, he came close to winning the gold medal in Beijing 2008. However, this near hit motivated him to bide his time and divert his energies towards the marathon event as he failed to qualify for the London 2012 track team. Getting set for his debut attempt at the Olympic Marathon in 2016, he cruised to yet another victory at the London Marathon for the second successive year while at the same time smashing the course record.

He finally fulfilled his utmost aspiration by taking home the Olympic gold medal in the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympics. As he prepares for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Kipchoge opted to use the Berlin Marathon as part of his training regimen since the flat Berlin course closely resembles the Paris Olympic marathon route.

Article By Suzy Nyongesa.