Another Kenyan on top of the marathon world. Twenty-three-year-old Kelvin Kiptum set a new world record today by winning the Chicago Marathon in an incredible time of 2:00:35. His mark surpassed the previous record held by the celebrated Eliud Kipchoge, who also fell below the historic two-hour mark, but in an unofficial competition. In fact, Kipchoge's benchmark time was from last year's Berlin Marathon, 2 hours 1 minute 9 seconds.

Kiptum is thus the first marathoner ever to go under 2 hours 1 minute.
The athlete from the Rift Valley, where all the cross-country champions come from, had already come close to the world's best time five months ago when he won the London Marathon with 2:01.25.

The 23-year-old passed the halfway mark in 1:00:48 before putting together a dizzying second half to take the glory. He approached the final 200 meters knowing he would make it, even posing for photographers and waving to the crowd, before collapsing into the hands of his manager after crossing the finish line.

"I feel so happy. I was not prepared," he said at the finish line. "The world record was not on my mind today." Admitting, however, that he realized in the very last kilometer that he could do it.

Kiptum crossed the tape three minutes and 27 seconds ahead of compatriot Daniel Mateiko, while Belgium's clearly African-born Bashir Abdi finished third in 2:04:32.