Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge lived up to his billing as favourite for the men’s marathon to take gold at Rio 2016.
Eliud Kipchoge cemented his status as one of the best distance runners of all time with a dominant victory in the men’s marathon at Rio 2016.
The Kenyan came into the race, which rounded off the athletics programme, as the hot favourite having claimed back-to-back London Marathon successes.
Kipchoge won bronze and silver in the men’s 5,000 metres at the 2004 and 2008 Games respectively, but was not to be denied in the rain in Rio on Sunday.
The 31-year-old Kipchoge won in a time of two hours, eight minutes and 44 seconds, with Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa taking silver and American Galen Rupp running in just his second marathon – claiming the bronze.
Stanley Biwott, tipped as one of Kipchoge’s main challengers, failed to finish, while defending champion Stephen Kiprotich could not repeat his shock triumph of 2012 as he came home in 14th.
Kipchoge, Lilesa and Rupp held a lead of nearly 50 seconds over the chasing pack at the 35 kilometre mark.
But Kipchoge’s quality told from there as he found another gear, with Lilesa and Rupp unable to respond.
Lilesa finished a minute and 10 seconds off the pace, while Rupp posted a personal best of 2:10.05 in a superb showing to take the final step on the podium ahead of Eritrea’s Ghirmay Ghebreslassie and Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania.
