Prior to his spectacular performance at the 2022 Valencia Marathon on Sunday, December 4, 2022, Kelvin Kiptum was just an ordinary runner, with a dream of conquering the marathon world.
He did not envision one day he would be backed by athletics fans and experts to succeed Eliud Kipchoge - one of the greatest marathoners.
Kenyans.co.ke assesses the career of the fast-rising runner, who has proven to be the next big star after setting a new course record of 2:01:25 in the 2023 London Marathon, on Sunday, April 23.
This was the second-fastest time in marathon history, behind Kipchoge's 2:01:09 set during the 2022 Berlin Marathon. Kipchoge is also the only human to run a 42 km race below two hours, clocking 1:59:40 in the non-official Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria, in October 2019.
Kiptum hails from Kapkenda, a remote locality in Keiyo South Constituency, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The 23-year-old announced himself to the international stage on Sunday, April 23, when he outpaced a star-studded field to win his maiden World Marathon Majors title at the 2023 London edition.
He broke away from the leading pack at the 30km mark and clinched the title in 2:01.25, missing Kipchoge’s world record by a mere 16 seconds. He also bettered the previous course record of 2:02:37 set by Kipchoge at the 2019 edition.
Speaking after his triumph, a delighted Kiptum revealed that he had a perfect preparation for the race.
“Today, I am happy to run my fastest second time in history. My preparation was good, everything was going on well. The secret is training. I have been training a lot.
“For the world record, I can’t speak about it now. I will go home and think about it,” he revealed.
Wisley Rotich, his area Governor, was among the first people to salute him for reaching the incredible milestone.
“What a run! Congratulations, Kelvin Kiptum, for the impressive run. Thanks for flying the Kenyan and Elgeyo Marakwet County flag high.
“Congratulations to Geoffrey Kamworor and Peres Jepchirchir for coming in second and third respectively in the men and women categories,” Rotich commented.
Before his superb London Marathon, Kiptum had only won one high-profile road race - Valencia Marathon.
In his debut in Valencia, the speedster surprised fans when he ran a calculated race to reach the tape at 2:01.53 - the fastest debut ever.
The time Kiptum, whose name means "festivity" in the Kalenjin language, clocked at the Spanish City was more than four minutes than what Kipchoge posted during his first full marathon appearance at the 2013 Hamburg edition.
Some other events that the runner, currently ranked 17th in the world, has won, include Le Lion Montbéliard to Belfort and La Route du Louvre Marathon (2021) half Marathons.
Despite his talent, Kiptum is yet to represent Kenya at international events such as the World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games.
However, with some dependable runners like Kipchoge, and Geoffrey Kamworor at the peak of their careers, Kiptum could soon don the Team Kenya jersey.
