Eliud Kipchoge's performances are always expected. Because of their quality and because they are very selective. The master and lord of the marathon competes little but when she does she usually leaves a gift for the memory. In September she broke the world record in Berlin and this Monday she appeared in Boston with the desire to prevail in another major after already having the titles of Chicago, London, Berlin and Tokyo in her showcases. In her goal of winning all the big marathons, she had the Massachusetts test and the New York test. And they are still lacking because in Boston Kipchoge, who had not raced in the United States for almost ten years, she could neither win nor shine.
In a marathon without hares since the course is not approved to make a mark Kipchoge was always in the leading group, at 9 degrees of temperature and with the asphalt wet from the rain. Next to him were flanked by his compatriot Evans Chebet, winner in 2022, and the Tanzanian Gabriel Geay, within a pack of seven athletes. But at kilometer 30, where a marathon really begins, according to the experts, Geay gave the front group a boost and, surprisingly and easily, Kipchoge fell behind, far behind. He couldn't follow Geay or Chebet or the others. His rictus always remains almost unchanged but he was suffering.
He no longer had the capacity to react. When he reached the finish line, with a modest time for him (2h9m23s), he did so with a slight limp in his left leg. Nothing to do with the fresh athlete of other occasions. Of the majority in fact. This Monday was his 20th marathon and the third in which he did not win. He finished sixth, his second-worst finish after eighth in London in 2020.
In front, the one who starred in the final hack was Chebet, who defended his title (2h5m54s) ahead of Geay (2h6m4s) and the Kenyan Benson Kipruto (2h6m6s).
If Chebet is an expert in the marathon, with a victory also in another cathedral like New York, in 2022, in the female category the winner premiered in these fights. She prevailed over the much faster Kenyan Hellen Obiri in the final kilometers, where she was the strongest in a group of five athletes. She reached the finish line with a time of 2h21m38s. Behind were the Ethiopian Amane Beriso (2h21m50s) and the Israeli Lonah Salpeter (2h21m57s).
