Kipchoge finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 38 seconds on a breezy and humid Sunday along the streets of Sapporo. It was more than 80 seconds ahead of runner-up Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands. Bashir Abdi of Belgium earned bronze to close out the track and field portion of the Tokyo Games.
At age 36, Kipchoge is the oldest to win the men’s marathon at the Olympics since Carlos Lopes, who was 37 when he won in 1984.
Really, this was a running clinic. Kipchoge smiled along the way and even fist-bumped a fellow racer. Kipchoge becomes the third athlete to win multiple gold medals in the men’s marathon, joining Abebe Bikila (1960, ’64) and Waldemar Cierpinski (’76, ’80).
Eliud’s gold ensured that Kenya ended the delayed Summer Games as the highest ranked African nation at number 19 globally with a total of 10 medals (4 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze