Kiprotich pulls out as Kenya's Kipchoge writes Olympics men's marathon history

Ugandan athlete Stephen Kiprotich Did Not Finish (DNF) in the men's marathon final as Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge claimed gold in 2:08:38 during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on August 8, 2021.

The 2012 London Olympics gold medalist, Kiprotich, started strongly in the lead pack through almost 5km before he suddenly dropped deep into the 2nd split pack, and subsequently out of sight as runners approached 13km on the streets of Sapporo City in Japan. 

Television footage showed the 32-year-old former Olympics champion walking and jogging as he struggled to extend his stay in the gold race as temperatures soared past 27°C. 

Kipchoge who was tipped to win- showed intent from the start, steadily dropping and regaining before he threw strides furthest- towards gold- in the last 10km. 

Eventual victory for the 36-year-old East African man means he's now only the 3rd man to win consecutive marathon golds, writing self as arguably the world's greatest long distance athlete. 

However, the legendary sportsman fell short of his world record set 2019 in Austria where he became the first athlete to run a marathon under two hours in a time of 1:59:40. 

Kiprotich's compatriots in Sunday's 42km activity, Fred Musobo (2:18:39) and  Filex Chemongesi (2:20:53) braved heat to complete their campaign as the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic flame burns out Sunday with the flag of the next edition passed on to Paris 2024.

Official data of the Summer Games shows that the race started with just over 100 males from 45 different countries.