LONDON — Alexander Mutiso Munyao achieved another victory for Kenya while the London Marathon honored last year’s winner Kelvin Kiptum.
The race began with a moment of respect for Kiptum, who passed away in a car accident in Kenya in February, and ended with his fellow countryman finishing alone near Buckinhgam Palace to claim an impressive win in his first major marathon.
Mutiso Munyao mentioned that he always remembers world-record holder Kiptum and spoke to him after his victory in London last year.
“He’s always on my mind, because he was a close friend,” said Mutiso Munyao. “It was a good day for me.”
It was a successful day for Kenyan runners, with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir taking the lead late in the women’s race and solidifying her position as the favorite to defend her gold in Paris.
Jepchirchir left world-record holder Tigst Assefa and two other competitors behind with about 400 meters to go, finishing in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 16 seconds, with Assefa in second place and Joyciline Jepkosgei in third.
Her time was over 4 minutes slower than Assefa’s world record set in Berlin last year, but it was the fastest time ever in a women-only marathon, surpassing Mary Keitany’s mark of 2:17:01 set in London in 2017. The elite women’s race in London started about 30 minutes before the elite men.
For Jepchirchir, the main objective was to demonstrate to Kenya’s Olympic team selectors that she deserves to be on the team in Paris.
“So I was working extra hard to defend my title in the Olympics,” she explained.
Mutiso Munyao denied 41-year-old Kenenisa Bekele his first London Marathon win by breaking away from the Ethiopian runner with about 3 kilometers remaining, securing the biggest victory of his career.
Mutiso Munyao and Bekele were competing for the win, but the Kenyan surged ahead as they ran alongside the River Thames, quickly widening the gap by six seconds as he headed towards the finish line.
“At 40 kilometers, when my friend Bekele was left behind, I was confident that I could win this race,” said the 27-year-old Mutiso Munyao.
He completed the race in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 1 second, with Bekele finishing 14 seconds later. Emile Cairess of Britain finished third, 2:45 behind.
Bekele, the former Olympic 10,000 and 5,000-meter champion from Ethiopia, was the runner-up in London in 2017 but has never claimed victory in the event.
Mutiso Munyao is not well-known in marathon circles and expressed uncertainty about whether this win would be enough to secure a spot on Kenya’s Olympic team for Paris.
“I hope for the best,” he stated. “If they select me I will go and work for it.”