LONDON — Alexander Mutiso Munyao delivered another win for Kenya on a day the London Marathon remembered last year’s champion.
A race that started with a period of applause for Kelvin Kiptum, who was killed in a car crash in Kenya in February, ended with his countryman and friend running alone down the final straight in front of Buckinhgam Palace to earn an impressive victory in his first major marathon.
Mutiso Munyao said he spoke to Kiptum after his win in London last year and that the world-record holder is always on his mind when he’s competing.
“He’s in my thoughts every time, because he was my great friend,” the 27-year-old Mutiso Munyao said. “It was a good day for me.”
It was a Kenyan double on the day, with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir pulling away late to win the women’s race and cement her status as the favorite to go for a second straight gold this summer at the Paris Games.