Kelvin Kiptum obliterates Eliud Kipchoge's world record at 2023 Chicago Marathon - 'I feel so happy'

Published 08/10/2023 at 17:20 GMT

Kelvin Kiptum smashed Eliud Kipchoge's world record by 34 seconds and came close to breaching the two-hour mark at the Chicago Marathon. The 30-year-old launched a stunning attack with 10km to go to drop his rivals and take the tape with a time of 2:00:35. In the women's race, Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan set a new course record of 2:13:44 to add the Chicago title to her London Marathon win in April.

'What a talent!' – Kiptum breaks world marathon record in Chicago

Kelvin Kiptum smashed the marathon world record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon and nearly became the first person to breach the two-hour mark.

The Kenyan completed the course in 2:00:35 to beat the previous record held by Eliud Kipchoge, which was set in Berlin little over a year ago, by 34 seconds.

“I feel so happy. I was prepared, I knew I was coming for a course record, but fortunately [it was], a world record,” Kiptum said in a post-race interview.

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“A world record was not in my mind today, but I knew one time, one day, I’d be a world-record holder.”

It should perhaps come as no surprise given recent remarks made by the 23-year-old.

“In the future, I know I can run two hours,” he told Olympics.com.

While not there yet, he came very close to hitting his target at the Chicago 26-miler.

Kiptum, who set a new course record in winning the London Marathon in April, was patient in the opening stages of the race, keeping in touch with the early pacesetter.

He ran the first half in 1:00:48 before really kicking on with 10km to go and threatening to beat Kipchoge’s benchmark.

The Kenyan dropped Daniel Kibet Mateiko as he went up through the gears and maintained his blistering pace to the line, running the second half of the race in 59:47 for a negative split.

It was Kiptum’s third consecutive win at this distance, and he took the tape more than three minutes ahead of his countryman Benson Kipruto in second, with Belgian Bashir Abdi finishing third.

In the women’s race, Sifan Hassan set a new course record of 2:13:44 and the second fastest time in history.

Like Kiptum, Hassan added the Chicago Marathon to her win in London earlier in the year.

The 30-year-old trailed two-time reigning champion Ruth Chepngetich at the halfway mark but recovered to beat her Kenyan rival by more than two minutes, with Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu clinching third.