New world record holder: Kelvin Kiptum conquers the marathon world

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With 2:00:35 last week in Chicago, Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum (23) improved the marathon world record of his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge (38) by no less than 34 seconds. An incredible time that no one expected. Certainly not from Kiptum. Because: So far he has only participated in two marathons.

His previous best time was 2:01:25 in London in April. And now this exploit. No wonder many are currently wondering how this young marathoner managed to improve his performance so much in such a short time. His trainer Gervais Hakizimana (36) attributes this partly to the weekly training kilometers.

For example, long-term ruler Kipchoge covers 220 kilometers, while Kiptum covers distances between 250 and 280, sometimes even around 300 kilometers. So more than a marathon distance per day! An absolute novelty in the scene. Doubters and skeptics will of course not be long in coming. One person who still thinks it is feasible is the multiple 5000 meter champion Mohamed Abdilaahi (24): “I think it is possible to cover the number of kilometers that his coach claims,” he tells Sport1. An opinion that recognized doping expert Prof. Fritz Sörgel (73) also shares.

Gained a lot of experience

Yet Kiptum is soon suspected of using illegal means to gain advantage. The critics are mainly based on the numerous doping suspensions of Kenyan athletes in recent years. Only on Monday another athlete, Titus Ekiru, was taken out of circulation. Even doping expert Sörgel cannot fully explain Kiptum’s performance. There is no scientific analysis for this. He also leaves open the question of whether there are mysterious substances that are not permitted.

But if you’re looking for an explanation for the unusual performance improvement, his age could play a decisive role. At 23 years old, Kiptum is significantly younger than his strongest competitors. While Kiptum mainly competed in half marathons as a teenager, they first achieved their basic speed on the tartan track before switching to the marathon.

Despite excellent prospects, coach Hakizimana is worried about his protégé. He fears that Kiptum will at some point injure himself due to his training intensity: “At this pace he is in danger of breaking. I have offered him to slow down the pace, but he does not want that.” Here too, doping expert Sörgel agrees with the trainer. But as with so many things, Kiptum remains a mystery in this respect.

Source : Blick