Kipchoge is back where he belongs

Athletics - NN Mission Marathon - Twente Airport, Enschede, Netherlands - April 18, 2021. Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates winning the men's race on the podium. [Pool via REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw]

Eliud Kipchoge waited until the final 30 minutes of the NN Mission Marathon to make his winning move as the Kenyan great kicked on to win the World Athletics Label road race in 2:04:30 at Twente Airport in Enschede, The Netherlands, yesterday.

The Olympic champion had little to prove; his place on Kenya’s team for Tokyo had already been confirmed, as has his status as one of the all-time greats. But following a rare defeat at the London Marathon last year, where he finished a distant eighth place, the world record holder was keen to produce a confidence-boosting performance ahead of the Olympic Games.