“Olympic Champion Kipchoge Smashes Melbourne Marathon Record”

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge broke the race record at the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday, finishing just a few seconds shy of even faster timing. Kipchoge, a 41-year-old athlete from Kenya and a former world record holder, who clinched gold at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, deliberately slowed down to acknowledge spectators inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the final stretch of the race. Having triumphed in his previous marathon in Berlin in September 2023, Kipchoge surged ahead in the last 10 kilometers of the 42.2-kilometer Melbourne Marathon, crossing the finish line in an impressive two hours, nine minutes, and 10 seconds, breaking the previous race record by two seconds. The prior record for the Melbourne Marathon was held by Kipchoge’s fellow Kenyan, Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh, with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 12 seconds set in 2022. Thomas Do Canto of Australia secured the second position in the race with a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 35 seconds, while Camille French from New Zealand emerged victorious in the women’s event, completing the race in 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds.