Kenyan marathon sensation Nehemiah Kipyegon stormed to victory in the Generali Munich marathon on Sunday, October 13, securing first place in his debut at the event.
The 26-year-old was miles ahead of his closest rival as he crossed the finish line at Olympiapark with an unofficial time of 2:10:02. Ethiopia's Siyum Diriba Tola came in second five minutes later, finishing the race with a time of 2:15:29.
Another Kenyan, Benard Chumba, rounded off the top three with a time of 2:19:00 - a considerable depreciation from his personal best time of 2:10:33.
In the women's category, Ethiopia's Asmare Beyene Assefa won the marathon with a time of 2:29:44, while Kenyan veteran Shamilah Tekaa Kipsiror impressively came in second six minutes later with a time of 2:35:44. The race was rounded off by Gelane Bulbula Senbete, who was beaten to second place by mere milliseconds.
Why it matters: The 2024 Munich Marathon was significant for several reasons. Not only were there a record 26,500 participants registered for the race, but the traditional marathon route, from the Olympic Park via Marienplatz, Leopoldstrasse, the English Garden and back to the Olympic Park was also used probably for the last time.
Nehemiah's win was made more impressive by the fact that he has never competed in a full marathon before. His best time in the half marathon was when he clocked 1:00:34 in the Copenhagen half marathon in September 2024.
He also defied odds to beat some huge names in the race including his counterpart Cosmas Birech, who won the 2018 Rome Marathon in 2:08:03.
After Kipyegon's victory, the focus will now shift to the Chicago marathon, where world 10,000 metres silver medalist Daniel Simiu is set to represent Kenya alongside several other big names.
Many Kenyans are hopeful that one of their own will secure the victory once again, one year after the late Kelvin Kiptum set a world record time of 2:00:35 to clinch victory last year. 2019 world bronze medallist Amos Kipruto, John Korir and Vincent Ngetich are some of the big names favourited to bring stiff competition in Chicago.
Stakes are high for the athletes, with the top finisher in both the men’s and women’s categories set to pocket $100,000, equivalent to Ksh12.88 million.
Second-place finishers will take home $75,000 (Ksh9.7 million), while the third spot comes with a reward of $50,000 (Ksh6.44 million).