Four Tokyo marathon rivals will renew their rivalry in the 2024 Paris Olympics after getting named in Team Kenya squad.
Athletics Kenya named the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, Benson Kipruto, Timothy Kiplagat and Vincent Ngetich who had earlier squared it out on the roads of the Japanese capital on March 3rd, 2024.
Kipchoge who is defending the Olympic marathon title won at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games will be seeking to exit the Olympic stage in Paris which will be his last with his head high and also avenge for the defeat that he suffered in the hands of Kipruto, Kiplagat and Ngetich who took the top three positions, relegating him to the 10th spot.
During the race, Benson Kipruto won the race by stopping the timer in 2:02.16 to break the course record followed by Timothy Kiplagat, trailing 39 seconds behind in second place as Ngetich completed the last podium finish in 2:04.18.
Kipchoge who was defending the Tokyo marathon finished in a distant 10th place by clocking 2:06.50.
It was a double tragedy for Kipchoge as he lost the Tokyo marathon title and also surrendered the course record of 2:02:40 he set in 2022 to Kipruto which was reduced by 24 seconds.
The 2023 Prague International Marathon champion Vincent Munyao with personal best of 57:59 in the half marathon set at the 2020 Valencia Half Marathon, the fourth fastest time ever is the only member of the team that didn’t compete in the 2024 Tokyo Marathon.
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