Kelvin Kiptum breaks marathon world record at 2023 Chicago Marathon, nears 2-hour barrier.
Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum broke the marathon world record to win the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours and 35 seconds, nearly breaking the two-hour barrier.
Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan ran the second-fastest women’s time in history — 2:13:44 — to win the women’s race.
He had not originally targeted the record but said he knew that twice Olympic champion Kipchoge's previous mark of 2:01:09 was within reach in the final kilometres, as he dug deep to make history.
Kiptum, listed at 23 years old, broke broke countryman Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, ahead of compatriot Benson Kipruto, while Belgian Bashir Abdi finished third in 2:04:32.
Kiptum has run three career marathons — all in the last 10 months — and posted three of the six fastest times in history — 2:01:53 in Valencia, Spain, last December, followed by 2:01:25 in London in April.
Hassan added to her legend with a second win in as many marathons with a time only bettered in history by Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s world record 2:11:53 from two weeks ago.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Hassan became the first woman to win medals in the 1500m (bronze), 5000m (gold) and 10,000m (gold) at the same Games.
Kiptum and compatriot Daniel Mateiko broke away from the rest of the pack by the 10-kilometre mark and the pair were more than one-and-a-half-minutes ahead of the rest of the field by the halfway point.
Running in only his third marathon, Kiptum made it a one-man race at 35 kilometres and decided to take advantage of Chicago's famously flat course as he shifted into another gear.
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