Kipchoge grabbed the lead in the marathon Sunday around the 35-km mark and finished off his first Olympic victory in this event in a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 44 seconds.
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American Jared Ward was sixth in 2:11.30, a personal best, and Keflezighi, who said he had to stop seven times along the way due to discomfort, placed 33 in 2:16.46. Lasse Viren of Finland accomplished that feat in 1972 and 1976. Only US marathon runners have won more Olympic medals than Ethiopians with 10.
The other Japanese runner in the race, comedian Hiroshi Neko, finished second to last.
The last USA runner to embark on a similar quest was Dan Browne, at Athens 2004, who placed 12th in the 10,000m and 65th in the marathon.
Chagnaadorj Usukhbayar, 19, who competed in the 56kg category but did not finish, tested positive for testosterone, becoming the seventh athlete to test positive for drugs during the Olympics in Brazil. He ran with the first pack for most of the race, but slowly gained more places throughout.
In the shadow of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, poking through the rain clouds from high above the city, first-place Kipchoge produced a virtuoso performance as he added gold to the 5,000m silver he won in Beijing in 2008 and his bronze from Athens 2004.
Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova and China’s Li Qian took the bronze medals as losing semi-finalists.
“I felt really, really comfortable, hence why I was at the front”, said Hawkins.
“Feeling like it was going to come, feeling like I had that support thinking of all the family and things like that”, he said. His winning time in London this April was 2:03:05, just eight seconds off the world record held by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto.
A morning downpour put paid to any thoughts of a world record as 155 runners representing 80 countries splashed around the course snaking through the heart of Rio’s historic centER in conditions miles removed from the holiday brochures of sun-kissed Rio.
When Kipchoge pushed the pace, Rupp had the energy to answer and break away with him and Lelisa, securing his bronze medal as a result. On his approach to the finish line, Lilesa had raised his arms and crossed them above his head in a protest against violence back home in Ethiopia.
“If you talk about this one it’s very risky”, Lilesa said.
“But I got it out of the system and made a decision to have an attacking race”.
“The fact that [he] showed solidarity with his people in the ongoing Oromo Protest, where according to New York-based human Rights Watch, over 500 Oromo people were killed over nine months for protesting against land policy of the Ethiopian government, his life could be in danger”.
He came home in splendid isolation at the finish in the Sambadrome, home of Rio’s famed carnival, before dropping to his knees in celebration.
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‘I think the rain was a good advantage because the temperature in Brazil is awful, ‘ said Kipchoge, who was serenaded by local fans chanting ‘Kenya! “Kenya!” after the race.
