World Record Improved by 30 Seconds from Own 2:01:39 Set in 2018
Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge crossed the finish line at the Berlin Marathon in Germany on the 25th with a time of 2 hours 1 minute 9 seconds, beating his previous world record set at the same event four years ago (2 hours 1 minute 39 seconds) by 30 seconds. Photo by Berlin AP - Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Eliud Kipchoge (38, Kenya), the two-time Olympic men's marathon champion, has once again broken the world record he set four years ago.
On the 25th, Kipchoge completed the 42.195 km course at the 2022 Berlin Marathon held in Berlin, Germany, in 2 hours 01 minutes 09 seconds. This is a world record 30 seconds faster than the 2 hours 01 minutes 39 seconds he set at the same event four years ago.
He broke the world record set by Kenya's Dennis Kimetto at this event in 2014 (2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds) by a remarkable 1 minute 18 seconds. Approaching the age of forty, Kipchoge demonstrated his enduring stamina by improving his time by 30 seconds in this race. This was his fourth victory at this event.
On the day, Kipchoge passed the 10 km mark in 28 minutes 23 seconds and reached the halfway point (21.0975 km) in 59 minutes 51 seconds, raising hopes of breaking the '2-hour barrier.'
However, when Kipchoge passed the 30 km mark in 1 hour 25 minutes 40 seconds, the expectation of a 'sub-2' (completing a marathon within 2 hours) was dashed.
Although he failed to achieve humanity's dream of breaking the 2-hour barrier, Kipchoge crossed the finish line in 2 hours 01 minutes 09 seconds, setting a new world record.
The runner-up was Kenyan athlete Mark Korir (37), who finished in 2 hours 05 minutes 58 seconds.
In an interview with the Associated Press after the race, Kipchoge said, "My legs and body are still young, but the most important thing is my mind. My mind is still young and fresh. Although I didn't break the 2-hour barrier, I am happy to have set a world record, and my future goal is to reduce my record by 1 minute 10 seconds."
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