In the end, winning the 42km marathon did not only come with gold, it weighs a lot more for Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich. The reigning Olympic champion did it in style again over the nerve-wrecking distance to win the country’s only medal at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia on Saturday.
While the sun held up in the sky, many toasted away to the triumph cold Kampala as the 24-year-old entered the Luzhniki Stadium first, of the 70 runners who started and went ahead to cross the finish line in 2:09:51.
He was followed by Ethiopian pair of Lelisa Desisa and Tadese Tola. Other Ugandans Jackson Kiprop finished tenth in 2:12:12 whereas counterpart Abraham Kiplimo finished 19th in 2:16:25.
His victory gave Uganda her only fourth medal in the history of the Championships; adding to Davis Kamoga’s 400m silver at Athens 1997 Championships, Dorcus Inzikuru’s steeplechase gold at Helsinki 2005 as well as Moses Kipsiro’s 5000m bronze in Osaka, Japan six years ago.
Not only did Kiprotich become the first man to finish the marathon under 2hr 10min in Russia, but has also etched his name in the Uganda’s history books. That scintillating win makes Kiprotich Uganda’s all-time greatest runner having added to his gold in London last year.
The imperious Saturday feat made him change the records making him the only second athlete, after Kamoga to make the podium at both the Olympic Games and World Championships. Kamoga had won bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games before trailing legendary American Michael Johnson in Athens a year later in 44.37.
That is the national record, and ranks him fourth in Africa, behind Innocent Egbunike, Samson Kitur and Charles Gitonga Kiprotich, who took the limelight with a winning time of 2:08:01 in sunny and humid conditions last summer in the Queen’s land, got the stats match with the late John Akii-Bua’s feat 40 years ago then.
That brought up the question to who is Uganda’s greatest athlete. Perhaps, Kiprotich has answered it. Akii-Bua won Uganda’s first Olympic gold at the 1972 Munich Games where he became the first athlete to do a lap of honour following the 400m hurdles triumph. Akii-Bua did not get a Championships medal but took two more at the All Africa Games. Kiprotich’s efforts in the Moscow show have sorted out everything. He is reigning Olympic and World marathon champion.