Kipchumba stretches unbeaten run in 2023 after beating course record in Shanghai
Kenyan athlete Philimon Kipchumba Kiptoo managed to break the Chinese all-comers’ record during the Shanghai Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race.
The previous record of 2:06:19, set by Kenya’s Moses Mosop in Xiamen in 2015, was surpassed by Kipchumba with an impressive finishing time of 2:05:35.
Kipchumba’s other record
Kipchumba not only beat the all-comers’ record but also set a new course record, surpassing the 2:07:14 mark set by compatriot Paul Lonyangata eight years ago.
This victory marked Kipchumba’s third marathon title of the year, maintaining an unbeaten streak in 2023 after winning in Hong Kong in February and Xiamen in April.
During the race, a competitive group of about 15 runners set a fast pace, reaching the 10km mark in 29:50, 15km in 44:48, and 20km in 59:55.
After passing the 25km water tables, only four runners, including Kipchumba, Solomon Kirwa Yego, Kenneth Keter (both from Kenya), and Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu, managed to keep up with the pacer.
The pacer stepped off the course after the leading quartet passed 30km in 1:29:24, with the leaders more than a minute ahead of the course record pace.
Yego made a move after 38km, but Kipchumba and Simbu kept up. In the final stretch, Kipchumba launched his final charge in the last 500m, securing the victory in 2:05:35.
Kipchumba’s joy
After the race, Kipchumba expressed his joy at breaking both the course record and the all-comers’ record.
“It’s my first time in Shanghai. The course is very good, and the weather for today is perfect. I am so grateful to win the race and to break the course record, and even China’s (all-comers’) record,” he said.
Simbu finished second with a personal best of 2:05:39, closely followed by Yego in 2:05:42.
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Siranesh Yirga secured victory with a time of 2:21:28. Tadu Teshome, the pre-race favorite, led the early stages but drifted away after 30km.
Kenyan veteran Selly Chepyego finished second in 2:21:55, and Bahrain’s Eunice Chumba took third in 2:22:20. Yirga’s win marked her fourth marathon title in five races, establishing herself as a rising star in the marathon distance.