![]() ![]() ![]() Having slowed slightly in the second half of the race he still powered through the final 500-metre sprint. The Kenyan, who retained his Olympic title at the Tokyo Games last year, had fallen short of his world mark by just over a minute at the Tokyo Marathon in March, but he was not to be denied in Berlin. Mr Belihu finally dropped back around the 27 kilometre-mark as Kipchoge pushed on for the record. He gradually shook off last year's winner Guye Adola but fellow Ethiopian Andamlak Belihu refused to buckle, even as they raced through the halfway mark in under an hour. Only a handful of runners could keep up with his sub-three-minute kilometre split times in the early stages, along with the group of pacemakers. "I planned to go out fast in the first half. "I am happy with my preparation and I think I was so fast because of the teamwork," Mr Kipchoge said. He set a blistering pace along the flat inner-city course on an overcast day to cement his status as the greatest ever marathon runner. The 37-year-old, who has now won 15 of his 17 career marathons, including two Olympic triumphs and 10 major titles, was in a class of his own. ![]()
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