London Marathon 2023: Kenyan Kiptum named a new king as Hassan makes a remarkable debut

Kenyan long-distance runner Kelvin Kiptum, storms to be the second-fastest marathon ever as he beats the TCS London Marathon course record whereas, in the women’s race, Sifan Hassan also produced a remarkable run but she battled to win on her debut at the distance with a hip injury.

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The 23-year-old was just 16 seconds outside Kipchoge’s world record, finishing in two hours one minute 25 seconds (2:1:25) and now he joins Eliud Kipchoge to become the second man to run sub 2:02.

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Kiptum managed one minute and 12 seconds off Kipchoge’s previous course record to beat second-placed compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor by almost three minutes.

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Hassan, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, appeared out of the women’s race after dropping back early on with a hip problem but somehow fought back.

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She then produced a sprint finish to win in two hours 18 minutes 33 seconds.

Former Olympic middle-distance runner Steve Cram talked about Hassan’s triumph and he said:

“Sifan Hassan has done something that nobody could ever have expected,” he said on BBC One. “She was struggling, she was grabbing her hip, stopping to stretch it off. “She would have been dreaming of just finishing. She can hardly believe it, this might just be the best success of her life.”

Britain’s Mo Farah was ninth in his final London Marathon, with the 40-year-old four-time Olympic champion revealing after the race that he would finish his career at the Great North Run in September.

Britain’s Mo Farah four-time Olympic winner said:

“London has been so great to me over the years and I wanted to be here to say thank you to the crowd and the support that was just amazing,” he said. “Part of me was wanting to cry. The people were amazing, even in the rain to line the streets and that’s what this is all about. It’s what has kept me going for so long throughout my career.”

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug knocked 50 seconds off his course record to win a third consecutive London Marathon men’s wheelchair race – and fifth in total.

Australia’s Madison de Rozario held off Manuela Schar, of Switzerland, in a sprint finish to win the women’s wheelchair event for a second time.

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More than 48,000 runners are taking part in the marathon, raising millions of pounds for charity, with huge crowds lining the streets of London despite damp conditions.

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The event has returned to its traditional date in the calendar, in April, for the first time since 2019 after being moved during the Covid-19 pandemic.