Sunday’s London Marathon race was impressive as two standout runners, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya, made their mark on the competition. Hassan, Olympic champion at 5,000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo 2021 Games, had never run a marathon before and wanted to try her luck in the race as part of her preparation for the Paris 2024 Games. Despite experiencing discomfort in his left leg, Hassan did not give up and managed to make up ground in the leading group before demonstrating his speed in the final sprint and winning the race with a time of 2:18:33.
On the other hand, Kiptum, who became the third-best record holder in history on his marathon debut in Valencia in December, won the London Marathon with a time of 2:01:25, falling just 16 seconds short of the world record set by his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge. Kiptum once again demonstrated his impressive speed and endurance, and he is emerging as a runner who could seriously threaten the world record in the future.
British running legend Mo Farah also participated in the race but finished in ninth place with a time of 2:10:28 and confirmed his retirement from athletics in September. All in all, the London Marathon was an exciting and action-packed race, and runners Hassan and Kiptum demonstrated their great talent and potential for the future.