Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, world marathon record holder, broke the legendary two-hour barrier on Saturday in Vienna with a time of 1:59:40, a mark that will not be official due to the external assistance he received.
The fastest marathon runner in history shattered the clock by running the 42.195 meters at a pace more akin to a sprint, averaging 17 seconds for every 100 meters, or 2 minutes and 50 seconds per kilometer.
Kipchoge crossed the finish line alone and with a smile, demolishing one of the legendary barriers of athletics in a very comfortable manner.
The marathon world record holder (2:01:39) was the sole protagonist of a race tailored for him, "Ineos 1.59", in which he received external assistance not allowed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), therefore his time will not be ratified.
The African athlete stated that this race, despite not being official, is more important than the record he achieved last year in Berlin because breaking one of the sport's mythical barriers will allow him to enter history and inspire a whole generation.
The fast pace of the race shattered the previous best time in history, the 2:00:25 that Kipchoge himself set in the Monza circuit (Italy) in a previous attempt to break the two-hour mark, in which he failed by 26 seconds.
The athlete, who has only been defeated once in a total of 12 marathons - a second place in Berlin 2013 - defeated his only rival on the track this Saturday: the clock.
(With information from EFE)
