The Marathon belongs to Kenya as Kipchoge claims Olympic gold

Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX champion Eliud Kipchoge produced another masterful marathon performance to claim the Olympic Games men's title for Kenya in Rio.

Kipchoge sealed his seventh victory in eight marathons to confirm his status as the greatest marathon runner in the world and take a commanding lead in Series X of the 12-month, eight race contest.

The 31-year-old smashed the Virgin Money London Marathon course record in April when he won in 2:03:05, the second fastest time ever, and has now added another 25 points to his AbbottWMM total to move 25 clear of Ethiopia's Boston Marathon winner Lemi Berhanu at the top of this year's standings.

Kipchoge didn't need his London speed to win the Olympic gold, but the former world 5000m champion overcame wet and muggy conditions on the final day of the Games to beat the best of the rest of the world in a time of 2:08:44.

He took control between 25 and 35km, running a 29:30 10km section to break apart a large leading group and end the hopes of all but a handful of his major rivals. Going hard at the front, he gradually whittled the pack down to three and then took off on his own to enjoy a glorious 7km solo run to the finish.

After Jemima Sumgong's thrilling victory in the women's race a week ago, Kipchoge cemented Kenya's place in Olympic history as the first nation to win both marathon titles at the same Games.

He is only the second Kenyan man to become Olympic champion, following former World Marathon Majors winner Sammy Wanjiru who triumphed in Beijing eight years ago.