Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich stunned a strong Kenyan team to win the men’s Olympic marathon yesterday, handing his east African nation a rare gold medal.
Kiprotich timed 2hr 08min 01sec on the spectacular course around the streets of central London, with two-time defending world champion Abel Kirui claiming silver in 2:08.27.
Another Kenyan, long-time leader Wilson Kipsang, took bronze in 2:09.37.
It was Uganda’s second ever gold medal after John Akii-Bua won the 400m hurdles in the 1972 Games in Munich, with the east African country’s only other medal a bronze from 400m runner Davis Kamonga in 1996.
“I am very happy to win a medal for my country,” beamed Kiprotich.
“I love my people. Uganda are very happy because we haven’t won a medal in marathon races. The pace was too fast and I knew I could not run away from them so I just had to keep up with them (Kipsang and Kirui).
Brazilian Franck De Almeida went through 10km in 30:38 in a race billed as a battle between Kenya and Ethiopia.
But the Ethiopian team’s tactics were dealt an early blow with Dino Sefir falling well off the pace, as Kipsang reeled in the Brazilian pacesetter.
Kipsang then built up a lead on the peloton, going through the halfway mark in 1:03.15, 16sec ahead of the chasing pack.
In front of thousands of spectators packed 10-deep in some places, Kiprotich set off in pursuit of Kipsang, splintering the pack in the hunt for a podium place.
Kirui and Ethiopia’s Ayele Abshero followed and pulled level at 25km.
Abshero struggled to stay level and with 7km to go, the Kenyans upped the pace to shake off Kiprotich.
Japan’s Kentaro Nakamoto and the sole American left in the field, Meb Keflezighi, were in position to challenge for a podium should anyone hit the wall in the final few miles.
But up front, the two Kenyans were caught napping as Kiprotich showed a dramatic change of pace to surge to the front in an audacious ambush at 32 kilometres.
Going into the final 2km, the 23-year-old Ugandan was 20sec ahead of Kirui, and he had enough time to grab an Ugandan flag on his last time entering the Mall, draping it around his shoulders as he crossed the line for a convincing victory.
Final table
| Country | G | S | B | Tot. |
| United States | 46 | 29 | 29 | 104 |
| China | 38 | 27 | 22 | 87 |
| Great Britain | 29 | 17 | 19 | 65 |
| Russia | 24 | 25 | 33 | 82 |
| South Korea | 13 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Germany | 11 | 19 | 14 | 44 |
| France | 11 | 11 | 12 | 34 |
| Italy | 8 | 9 | 11 | 28 |
| Hungary | 8 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
| Australia | 7 | 16 | 12 | 35 |
| Japan | 7 | 14 | 17 | 38 |
| Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 8 | 20 |
| Ukraine | 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 |
| Cuba | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| Iran | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Jamaica | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Czech Republic | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| North Korea | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Spain | 3 | 10 | 4 | 17 |
| Brazil | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 |
| Belarus | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Ethiopia | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Romania | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Kenya | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Denmark | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Azerbaijan | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Poland | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Turkey | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Lithuania | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Norway | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Canada | 1 | 5 | 12 | 18 |
| Sweden | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Colombia | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Georgia | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Mexico | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Argentina | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Slovenia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Serbia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Tunisia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Dominican Rep. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Trinidad | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Latvia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Algeria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bahamas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grenada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Uganda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Venezuela | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| India | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Mongolia | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Thailand | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Egypt | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Armenia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Finland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Estonia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Taipei | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Botswana | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cyprus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gabon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Guatemala | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Montenegro | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Greece | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Moldova | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Qatar | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Singapore | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bahrain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hong Kong | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kuwait | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Morocco | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tajikistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Results
Boxing (men): Fly (52kg): 1. Ramirez (CUB); 2. Nyambayar (MGL); 3. Conlan (IRL), 3. Aloian (RUS).
Light (60kg): 1. Lomachenko (UKR); 2. Soonchul (KOR); 3. Toledo (CUB); 3. Petrauskas (LIT).
Welter (69kg): 1. Sapiyev (KAZ); 2. Evans (GBR); 3. Shelestyuk (UKR); 3. Zamkovoy (RUS).
Light heavy (81kg): 1. Mekhontcev (RUS); 2. Niyazymbetov (KAZ); 3. Falcao (BRA); 3. Gvozdyk (UKR).
Super heavy (91kg): 1. Joshua (GBR); 2. Cammarelle (ITA); 3. Medzhidov (AZE); 3. Dychko (KAZ).
Pentathlon: 1. Asadauskaite (LTU); 2. Murray (GBR); 3. Marques (BRA).
Gymnastics: All-around final: 1. Russia; 2. Belarus; 3. Italy.
Handball (men): Final: Sweden vs France 22-21. Bronze medal: Hungary vs Croatia 26-33.
Volleyball (men): Final: Russia vs Brazil 3-2. Bronze medal: Italy vs Bulgaria 3-1.
Wrestling (men): 66kgs: 1. Yonemitsu (JAP), 2. Kumar (IND), 3. A. Tanatarov (UKR); 3. Lopez (CUB).
96kgs: 1. Varner (USA), 2. Andriitsev (UKR), 3. Gogshelidze (GEO); 3. Gazyumov (AZE).