Kenya’s double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge improves his world marathon record in Berlin

Perfect weather conditions, massive support from three pacemakers, combined with good training, enabled Kenya’s double Olympic champion, Eliud Kipchoge, to improve his world marathon record by 30 seconds.

Running an aggressive first half of the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, Kipchoge clocked 2:01:09 to win the 2022 edition. Kipchoge's previous world marathon record of 2:01:39 was set in the 2018 edition of the Berlin Marathon.

Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa won the women’s race with an impressive time of 2:15:37, which was nearly three minutes better than the course record.

Kipchoge, 37, was the pre-race favorite and, along with three pacemakers, set up a blistering pace covering the opening five kilometres in 14 minutes and 14 seconds.

The leading group of three athletes, including Kipchoge and defending champion Guye Adola of Ethiopia, crossed the 10km mark in 28 minutes and 23 seconds. The leading group was well below the world record of 2:01:39 set by Kipchoge in the 2018 edition of the Berlin Marathon.

The early hard pace had its toll on defending champion Adola as he drifted away from the leading group of three athletes at the 13km mark. He wasn’t among the top 15 finishers.

Ethiopia's Andamlak Belihu was brave enough to keep pace with the double Olympic champion. Belihu continued to stay on Eliud Kipchoge's shoulder. The leading group of Belihu, Kipchoge, and three pacemakers crossed the 21km mark in 59 minutes and 51 seconds.

The pacemaker dropped at the 25km mark. Kipchoge however, wasn’t able to keep the same tempo as there was none to push him. Belihu too drifted away when Kipchoge pushed hard in the closing stages of the marathon race. Belihu eventually finished fourth.

Cheered by enthusiastic fans who had lined-up along the marathon course, Eliud Kipchoge crossed the 35km mark in 1:40:10. The Kenyan was still below the world record mark.

He stayed focused in the last seven kms of the race and fought against the clock to cross the finish line in 2:01:09, which was 30 seconds better than his own world record of 2:01:39 set in 2018 in Berlin.

Tigist Assefa joins Eliud Kipchoge in crafting history in Berlin

Eliud Kipchoge wasn't the only one who stunned everyone at the event. The winner of the women’s marathon race, Tigist Assefa's journey in the marathon world is even more fascinating. A two-lap runner at the 2016 Olympic Games, Tigist made her marathon debut in March this year.

On Sunday in Berlin, she improved her marathon time by nearly 20 minutes to become the third fastest runner in the history of women’s marathon.

The 28-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:15:37 to win the 2022 Berlin Marathon, which was almost three minutes better than the previous course record.

In her marathon debut in March, Tigist clocked 2 hours and 34 minutes in the Riyadh Marathon. “My training was good. I’m happy to win the Berlin Marathon,” Tigist said through a translator in the post-marathon interaction.