• ATHLETICS

• Frank Rotich 5 hrs ago

Kipchoge finishes 16th in historic first marathon on African Soil

Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge made history on Sunday after completing his first-ever marathon race on African soil at the Cape Town Marathon 2026 in South Africa.

The two-time Olympic champion finished 16th in the race after clocking 2 hours, 13 minutes and 29 seconds in a strong field that brought together some of the world’s best marathon runners.

The race was won by Ethiopian runner Mohamed Esa, who crossed the finish line in 2:04:55 to break the course record.

His countryman Yihunilign Adane was second in 2:04:59, while Kenya’s Kalipus Lomwai finished third in 2:05:06.

Despite missing out on the podium, Kipchoge described the race as a special moment in his career.

“Cape Town, this was a special day. Today was a celebration of running on this beautiful course, supported by thousands of incredible fans,” said Kipchoge after the race.

The 41-year-old is currently on a mission to run marathons across all seven continents over the next two years to inspire people to live healthy lives and bring runners together around the world.

Cape Town marked the first stop of that global marathon tour and also became the first marathon Kipchoge has competed in on African soil during his long and successful career.

Kipchoge is widely regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners in history. He became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours and has won multiple major marathon titles, including two Olympic gold medals.

His performance in Cape Town was also an improvement from his last marathon appearance at the New York City Marathon in November 2025, where he finished 17th in 2:14:36.

Kipchoge’s next race will be the Porto Alegre Marathon in Brazil on July 12 before heading to Australia later this year for the Melbourne Marathon.