Kenyan long-distance runner, Kelvin Kiptum made history as the third-fastest marathoner of all time when he clocked 2:01:53 to win the Valencia Marathon on Sunday, December 4, 2022.
World Athletics notes that Kiptum broke the two hours and two minutes record, hence gaining the title of the third fastest man in marathon running.
Kiptum was closely followed by Tanzanian Gabriel Geay (2:03:00) and another Kenyan, Alexander Mutiso (2:03:29) in second and third respectively.
Only Eliud Kipchoge (2:01:09) and Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:53) have run faster than him.
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Kipchoge is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time after recording an impressive under-two-hour mark during an experimental race.
He is also the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion and the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
Kiptum gained his first international experience in March 2019 when he finished fifth at the Lisbon Half Marathon.
The 23-year-old made history on his Marathon debut in Spain also setting the fastest time ever recorded by a marathon debutant.
His time was also the second fastest in 2022 after Kipchoge set the new world record by clocking 2:01:29 at the Berlin Marathon.
He broke the record for the event set by Evans Chebet in 2020 with panache since he dropped his opponents before the 35th km and finished in a bomb.
With a time of 14 minutes between the 30th and the 35th kilometer, and another 14 minutes and 4 seconds between the 35th and the 40th, Kiptum completed the last 10 km in 28 minutes and 4 seconds.
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