- Kipchoge won the race in 2:01:09
- He beat his own world record by 30 seconds
- Olunga & Wanyama praise the record champion
WHAT HAPPENED? The 37-year-old produced another top display to win the race in 2:01:09 over the grueling 26.2 miles and in the process smash his own record by 30 seconds.
Kipchoge started the race with speed and reached the halfway point with the clock on 59.51. In the closing stages, he sped away from his closest challenger, Mark Korir, also from Kenya, who finished second, to sprint to the tape.
WHAT THEY SAID? The latest achievement by Kipchoge, who is fondly referred to as the GOAT, has left a cross-section of Kenyans taking to social media to celebrate him.
Harambee Stars captain Olunga, who features for Al Duhail SC in Qatar, led the chorus alongside Wanyama, who turns out for CF Montreal in Major League Soccer.
Olunga wrote: "Keep jogging Kipchoge, Congratulations 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🇰🇪, while Wanyama said: "Congratulations my friend. The GREATEST OF ALL TIMES."
Newly elected Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto was not left behind, he said: "The greatest has done it again; breaking the world record! Congratulations Eliud Kipchoge for winning the Berlin Marathon for the fourth time.
Goal Kenya."You are truly the King of the Marathon. Well in Mark Korir for bagging Silver. #berlinmarathon #berlinlegend #worldrecord."
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said: "You were already arguably the best marathoner, and now you've taken your domination of the distance notches higher. A great precision run flawlessly executed once more, breaking the world record. Congratulations Eliud Kipchoge. Keep flying our 🇰🇪 high."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Kipchoge has now won the Berlin Marathon four times in history. He won the race in 2015, 2017, 2018 and now 2022, and was placed second in the 2013 edition.
In the process, Kipchoge moved level with Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie, who had won it four times consecutively.
