Eliud Kipchoge at the Sydney Marathon/ HANDOUT Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge brushed off his ninth-place finish at Sunday’s Sydney Marathon, insisting he has nothing left to prove in the sport he has long dominated.
The 40-year-old stopped the clock in 2:08:31 in his first appearance on the Sydney course.
Ethiopia's Hailemaryam Kebedew shattered the course record, winning in 2:06:06 with his compatriot Addisu Gobena Aga (2:06:16) second.
Lesotho's Tebello Ramakongoana completed the podium in 2:06:47.
Despite not making the podium, Kipchoge crossed the line satisfied.
“I’m happy to go across the finish line. I have nothing to prove,” Kipchoge said post-race.
The former world record holder used the occasion to rally for mass participation in future editions.
“My mission is to bring all the people together. Let us surpass 55,000 (from 35,000) next year to run here," he said. “It’s a beautiful course. There's no other like this in this world."
Kipchoge, who ran in the second pack through halfway (1:03:45) and stayed with the leaders until the 30km mark, eventually lost ground in Centennial Park after a surge led by his NN Running teammate Laban Korir.
By 35km, the Kenyan great was 12 seconds adrift and never clawed his way back into contention.
Arguably, the king of the roads, Kipchoge, has not won a marathon in two years, enduring a turbulent stretch in his decorated career.
Kipchoge placed 10th at the Tokyo Marathon in March 2024, followed by a painful DNF at the Paris Olympic Marathon due to a hip injury.
He has, however, slowly been regaining his form, opening the 2025 season with a sixth-place finish at April's London Marathon in 2:05:25.
Sabastian Sawe won the race in 2:02:27 ahead of Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo (2:03:37) and another Kenyan, Alexander Munyao (2:04:20).
Kipchoge's Sydney outing underlined both his resilience and shift of focus from medals to legacy.
Meanwhile, champion Kiros acknowledged the quality of the field in Sydney.
“The competition was very tough,” said Kiros. “The field was strong, but I pushed on to see the race through."
In the women's field, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands lived up to her billing by smashing the women's course record.
She clocked 2:18:22 ahead of former women's world record holder Brigid Kosgei (2:18:56) and Ethiopia's Workenesh Edesa Gurmesa (2:22:15).
The Dutch star noted that she had to push hard to claim the crown.
“I pushed so hard to the finish,” Hassan explained. “I am so happy to run a course record and win.”
Hassan, who has now won four of her six career marathons, admitted she got her pacing wrong but was delighted with the result.
“I started too hard and I learned my lesson towards the end. I am, however, happy I finished the race without drama," she noted.
