Athletics: Wilson Kipsang creates new world record

Wilson Kipsang

The Berlin Marathon is a competition which almost all athletics fans from around the world follow.

In April 18,2011, the streets of Berlin saw Patrick Makau from Kenya create history by making the new Marathon world record clocking 2hr 3min 42sec. In 2013, we see another Kenyan create history again in the streets of Berlin. This time Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich breaks Makau’s previous record by 15 seconds.

On Thursday, the 31 year old ran very well, finishing well ahead of his fellow Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge (2:04.05) and Geoffrey Kipsang (2:06.26).

Makau’s record looked under threat from the beginning of the race under such Sunny and Dry conditions —– ideal conditions for a brilliant Marathon race. The three Kenyan compatriots —–Kipchoge, Geoffrey Kipsang and the new record holder Wison looked in top form from the beginning of the race. So did the other competitors.

Kipsang surely had the record in mind from the beginning as the decide to pull away as soon as they reached the half-way mark.The trio passed through 35km in 1:42.36, some 20 seconds off Makau’s 2011 pace but Kipsang had plenty in reserve and slowly pulled clear. He passed through the 40km mark in 1:57.12 – three seconds faster than Makau – and continued to press home his advantage.This is what he said after the race:

I was feeling strong so I decided to push. I’m very happy that I’ve won and at breaking the world record. If I prepare very well and with the same shape – today there was a lot of wind, I was really fighting,” he said.

Born in 15 March 1982, in the Keiyo District of Kenya,Kipsang showed his interest in long distance running from his childhood. His first major achievment came when he finished 2nd in the 10 kilometre Tegla Loroupe Peace Race competing for the Kenya Police. He also finished first in the Tilburg Ten Miles, recording a time of 46:27. But, all these achievements came to him as an amateur.

He turned pro in 2007 and continued to run in Kenya’s National level races. He performed well in many international races after 2009. He won Egmond Half Marathon and finished fourth in the World 10K Bangalore in May 2009.

Starting as a favorite in the 2012 Olympics, he won the prestigious Bronze medal. Before that, he won the London Marathon too.

We hope that Kipsang continues to win medals like this consistently as he did from the start of his professional career in 2008.