Who is the record-breaking Kelvin Kiptum?

Fastest man alive? During the weekend, on October 8, a young man went sensational after finally breaking the marathon world record in just his third competitive run. Marathoner Kelvin Kiptum just became the fastest competitive marathon finished in the world. Find out more about Kelvin Kiptum, the new man of the hour.

WORLD RECORD: We have a new man in town. Kelvin Kiptum just broke Eliud Kipchoge's World Record with an unofficial time of 2:00:35! UNBELIEVABLE! pic.twitter.com/XfeMEzPveZ

— Chicago Marathon (@ChiMarathon) October 8, 2023

Who is Kelvin Kiptum?

Kelvin Kiptum is a Kenyan professional marathoner who went viral after breaking the marathon world record. He finished the 2023 Chicago Marathon at 2:00:35, 34 seconds faster than the previous record. Subsequently, this allowed Kiptum to be the only athlete to get past under the 2:01 mark. Before Kiptum, another Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge, set a 2:01:09 record time in the 2022 Berlin Marathon.

“I knew I was coming for a course record, but a world record – I am so happy,” Kiptum gracefully told the interviewers after the Chicago event. “A world record was not on my mind today, but I knew one day I would be a world record-holder”.

What separates Kiptum from most runners is that he coaches himself. And, at 23 years old, he already holds three of the top six fastest finishes in competitive marathons. He has been showing up in major marathons since 2018 but only made his debut in competitive running in the 2022 Valencia Marathon. Earlier this year, in April, Kiptum was victorious in the 2023 London Marathon.

However, he came up short of 16 seconds from breaking the world record. In every competition, Kelvin Kiptum breaks his limits as he goes faster. He triumphed in his first three competitive marathons (Valencia, London, Chicago) and continues to decrease his time. Who knows, maybe in the next competition or two, Kiptum will make his legacy as the first marathoner to go under the 2-hour mark. Time will only tell if Kiptum will be the greatest marathoner of all time. At such a very young age, he has proven to be one of the best there is. In fact, he hasn’t been to the Olympics yet, but we will surely see him in Paris in 2024.

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