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Nairobi \u2014 World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has saluted newly-crowned Valencia Marathon champion Kelvin Kiptum for setting the third fastest time in the men’s marathon.<\/p>\n
Kiptum, making his 42km debut in the Spanish city on Sunday, timed 2:01:53 to clinch his first ever marathon title and only fell 45 seconds shy of breaking Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09.<\/p>\n
Kipchoge, who set a new world record at September’s Berlin Marathon, said he is not worried about Kiptum possibly smashing his record in the near future.<\/p>\n
“I am not worried at all… you know, that’s sports. Today, someone else can break the world record and tomorrow, I can break it. I have broken the world record back-to-back so it is good for him to run 2:01 back-to-back,” the two-time Olympic marathon champion said.<\/p>\n
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Only Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:53) have run faster than the 23-year-old Kiptum whose previous trip to Valencia yielded a sixth-place finish at last year’s half marathon.<\/p>\n
Kipchoge, who also set the fastest time by a marathoner on Japanese soil at this year’s Tokyo Marathon, said it bodes well for road races when more runners are clocking fast times.<\/p>\n
“In fact, I am the happiest man alive. I am happy that there are others who can run 2:01,” he said.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the ‘man of the moment’, Kiptum, has admitted that usurping his countryman as the world’s fastest marathoner is a thought too far.<\/p>\n
Speaking in the aftermath of his awe-inspiring feat, Kiptum said there is much work for him to do before he scales the heights reached by Kipchoge.<\/p>\n
“No, I am not ready yet (to compete against Kipchoge for the world record). From here, I want to go back to my country, train harder as I strategise and prepare for my next race,” he said.<\/p>\n
Introspecting on the race, Kiptum admitted that the road to success had not been smoothsailing, having to deal with a groin injury in April this year.<\/p>\n
“This was my first road race since I was here last year for the Valencia Half Marathon. I suffered a groin injury in April this year and this hampered my preparations a bit. However, I had to trained hard so I could be ready in time for Valencia,” Kiptum said.<\/p>\n
His time is also the second fastest this year after Kipchoge smashed the world record by clocking 2:01:29 at the Berlin Marathon.<\/p>\n
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