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English Premier League Suspended

by Nathan Sialah
written by Nathan Sialah

The biggest football league, English Premier League has been suspended.

The suspension comes after Arsenal Head Coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea Winger Callum-Hudson Odoi tested positive for Covid-19 Corona Virus.

In a statement posted in all their social media accounts, the Premier League has  stated that the move is as a result of the deadly virus that is now a global epidemic.

In the statement, Premier League noted, ” Following a meeting of Shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time.”

The statement further stated, “Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so.

In this fast-moving environment, further updates will be provided when appropriate.”

On his part, Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “Above all, we wish Mikel Arteta and Callum Hudson-Odoi speedy recoveries, and everyone else affected by COVID-19.

“In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”

The Premier League becomes the fourth top tire league in Europe to be suspended due to the Virus after Italy’s Serie A, Germany’s Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga.

The UEFA Champions League and Europa League have also been suspended till further notice.

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Sports

Kisumu Boda Boda Mechanic Becomes Odibets First BIG Winner of 2020

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Leonard from the great city of Kisumu is Odibet’s first BIG winner of 2020 after winning Ksh 2.401, 045 from four back to back soccer bets on Kenya’s fastest betting website.

Born a little over 30 years ago, Leonard is one of many young Kenyans who’ve embraced Odibets ending up with big wins overnight.

How did Leonard win?

“Leonards’ bet slip is one of the most interesting we have seen this year,” says Daniel Macharia, Odibets’ head of bookmaking.

“In the 4 wins, Leonard had 7 winning draw bets and it has paid handsomely.” He predicted among others Juve’s draw at Atalanta on Sunday which is quite a feat,” he concluded congratulating him.

Speaking to the Odi Mtaani Team

When the Odi Mtaani team (which distributes uniforms and soccer balls to the County soccer leagues sponsored by Odibets.com) visited him at his home in Kisumu, an elated Leonard had quite a bit to say.

“I will use this money to endeleza my biashara – as well as take care of my family,” citing Odibets’ fast payouts, boosted game odds and over 130 markets – as his favorites.

The Kisumu resident adviced fellow bettors who are yet to win BIG, “What I can tell them is that if they haven’t won such an amount before, they shouldn’t give up! Tomorrow could be the day you win BIG like me!”

“Odibets would like to congratulate Leonard on his win! We hope that you enjoy your winnings.” said the Odibets country marketing manager, Aggrey Sayi who was at hand to hand over the big win to him.

What is Odibets no minimum stake? Odibets offers its customers with the genuine chance to bet small win BIG by allowing users to bet as little as 10 bob.

New to Odibets? Claim your FREE BET now! Visit: https://odibets.com

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Sports

Barcelona Star Luiz Suarez Ruled Out For Four Months

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

FC Barcelona star Luiz Suarez has been ruled out for four months.

Suarez has been operated on this Sunday by Dr. Ramon Cugat, who used keyhole surgery to resolve an injury to the external meniscus of the right knee by performing a suture.

The Uruguayan striker will be out for approximately four months.

Suárez has participated in a total of 23 games this season, in which he has scored 14 goals: 11 in the league and three in the Champions League.

In addition, he has the most assists in the Spanish league in 2019/20 with a total of seven.

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PoliticsSports

How Local Sports is Being Used to Foster Unity Among residents Owing to 2017 Heated Polls in Busia

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Busia County has embarked on fostering unity among residents Owing to 2017 heated electoral process through sports.

Several local football clubs are now battling for a Ksh 250,000 cash price in the ongoing tournament.

Odiado Drones FC reembark on the search for their maiden trophy when they face Red Sharks in the Nangina ward soccer tournament final on Tuesday.

The sides both carry an unbeaten run into the final that will be staged at the Funyula Stadium in Busia County, and Drones who are aware of their opponents’ threat are determined to walk the talk.

“Sharks are a very good side. They are sharp and able to cause harm any time. But that does not matter. We are going for it, we are going for them, I believe in my boys,” Drones FC head coach Asudi Mooka oozed with optimism during Monday’s light training session at Odiado Primary playing ground.

Drones held their nerve to beat Malanga FC 4-2 in penalty shootout on Saturday, after the game ended in a barren draw, Evans Willy, Dennis Opondo and Cyrus Ogana all slotting home from the spot.

Mooka believes the success in the dramatic semifinal has all but raised the mood in his camp.

“It was nervy shootout. You know they(Malanga) have a good goalkeeper and they even boasted of it as the shootouts loomed. But these young kept their cool, rose to the occasion and saved the day,” he opined.

According to the organizer, Nangina ward MCA John Obwogo, the annual event will go a long way in ensuring the region’s cohesiveness and HIV/AIDS awareness.

“This tourney serves to foster unity among residents owing to the 2017 heated electoral process. We also aim at raising HIV/AIDS as we keep the youths occupied, as well as empowering them through talent exposure and cash prizes,” said Obwogo.

The winner of the tournament takes home KES 250,000 as the runners up settle for KES 200,000. Losing semifinalists Malanga FC and Sigulu FC will battle it out for third place place in an early kick off match, the winner pocketing KES 100,000 and the other KES 50,000.

The grand final will be graced by Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong, Ugenya MP David Ochieng, former Funyula MP Paul Otuoma, Nangina ward MCA John Obwogo among others.

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Sports

Lampard: I won’t have any talk of the January transfer window at Cobham until that month arrives

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has said that he won’t have any talk of the January transfer window at Cobham until that month arrives.

He is pleased to see his players focusing on training, and for him all he is thinking about now is the busy run of games coming up.

Lampard says he expects to rotate his midfield in the weeks ahead, and he has been satisfied with the performances from his players in those positions this season.

Lampard reiterates the work being done on the training ground to improve our finishing in the wake of recent games that have been tighter than the boss would have liked.

‘When you look at the quality of the players we have there it’s not a problem position. I want my full-backs to get forward a lot. Emerson did really well on Tuesday, and Alonso was there when we were winning a lot of games,” he said in a press conference on Friday.

On the subject of full-backs, Lampard says Reece James has developed plenty this season and has really benefitted from training and playing alongside the experienced Cesar Azpilicueta.

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Sports

Chelsea Free to Sign Players in January

by Nathan Sialah
written by Nathan Sialah

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has halved Chelsea’s transfer ban. Chelsea is now free to sign players in the upcoming transfer window which is due to be opened in late December 2019 till early January 2020.

​The blues were initially hit with a transfer ban before the summer, meaning they would not have been able to register any new signings until the summer of 2020, and forcing new manager Frank Lampard to lean heavily on the club’s academy products.

Chelsea were only able to sign Croatian international Mateo Kovacic since he was already in Chelsea on loan for one season from Real Madrid.

The likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James have thrived in first team roles as a result, with Lampard preparing to go his first season back at the club without adding any further talent to the squad.

Chelsea are currently sitting comfortably at the 4th position 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool who are unbeaten. They are only 6 points behind second placed Leicester city and 3 points behind 3rd place last season’s Champions Manchester City.

with the transfer ban reversed, reports have already emerged linking several players to Chelsea. Crystal Palace forward Wilfred Zaha has been linked to Stamford Bridge in January as reported by The Sun.

England players Ben Chilwel and Jordan Sancho who plays for Leicester and Borussia Dortmund at club level respectively have also been linked to the London move.

Chelsea are also enjoying having a player as a contender for the EPL Golden Boot with Forward Tammy Abraham scoring 11 goals in 14 appearances in the premier league this season, 3 goals behind leader Leicester’s Jamie Vardy.

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Latest NewsSports

Eliud Kipchoge Wins Prestigious International Award

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Olympic marathon champion and World Marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has won a prestigious award.

Kipchoge has been crowned the 2019 World Athletics Male Athlete of the year.

Kipchoge, 35, beat four other contestants to retain the award during the World Athletics gala in Monaco on Saturday night.

Kipchoge, who was not at the gala but accepted the accolade in a telecast interview, won the London Marathon in April in a course record of 2:02:37, before making history as the first man to run a marathon under two honours when he completed the Ïneos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria in 1:59:40.2 on October 12 this year.

Kipchoge beat World Cross Country and World 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda, World 200m champion Noah Lyles (USA), World 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm (Norway) and World pole vault champion Sam Kendricks (USA).

World 800m record holder David Rudisha was the first Kenyan to win the accolade in 2010.

The 400m hurdler Dalilah Muhammad from USA won the Female Athlete of the Year Award pipping Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, Jamaican Shelly Ann Fraser and Sifa Hassan of the Netherlands.

She broke world record with 52.20 at the US Championships before improving her own world record to win the world 400m hurdles title in 52.16 in Doha. She went ahead to win the world 4x400m title with the USA team.

Kosgei won this year’s Chicago Marathon in a World Record time of 2:14:04 (mixed race) on October 13. Kosgei also won the London Marathon in 2:18:20.

Kosgei also ran a world-leading 1:05:28 for the half marathon at Bahrain Night Half Marathon, Manama on March 15 and 1:04:28 on a downhill course in South Shields Great North Run, South Shields, England on September 8.

Kenyan-based Colm O’Connell from Ireland, who coaches Rudisha, won the Coaching Achievement.

Here is a list of 2019 winners

Male Athlete of the year – Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)

Female Athlete of the Year – Dalilah Muhammad (USA)

President’s Award – The late Vikki Orvice (Journalist-Britain)

Fair Play Award – Braima Suncar Dabo (Guinea-Bissau)

Photographer of the Year – Felix Sanchez Arrazola (Spain)

Coaching Achievement – Colm O’Connell (Ireland/Kenya)

Woman of the Year – Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia)

Male Rising Star award – Selemon Barega (Ethiopia)

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Sports

SoNy Sugar relegated from KPL after handing a third walkover

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Sony Sugar have been relegated after they failed to honour their third Kenyan Premier League match this season, a mid week tie against Zoo in Kericho.

The sugar millers who won the local title in 2006 have been experiencing financial challenges that saw them give away matches against AFC Leopards and Tusker, before a late arrival in Kericho for today’s match against Zoo confirmed their worst fears.

According to the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) rules, if a team fails to honour three matches its automatically relegated to the National Super League.

“Sony failed to honour their match against Zoo today. They arrived late for the match when the match officials had already given a walk over to the home team,” said KPL Chief Executive Officer Jack Oguda.

He added: “Though it’s a sad thing to see a team being relegated in this manner, the rules are clear. So they have 48 hours to explain what happened to the competition’s committee who will then make the final decision.”

Yesterday, the visitors arrived at the match venue, Kericho Green Stadium at 4.10pm after a two hours road trip from Awendo for a match that was to kick-off at 3pm.

According to the league’s rule 4. 1.7, a club failing to turn up for any league or competition match shall submit a written explanation to the FKF Leagues and Competition within 48-hours from the date of the match.

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Sports

Veteran coach Arsene Wenger back to the game as he lands new lucrative role

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Veteran coach Arsene Wenger has been named Fifa’s chief of global football development, the governing body announced on Wednesday.

Fifa said the former Arsenal and Monaco coach would be responsible for the growth of the game “for both men and women around the world”, and would also be the “leading authority on technical matters”, including potential changes to the sport’s laws.

It added that Wenger, 70, would also be tasked with coach education and aiding a programme designed to help former players enter management.

“I very much look forward to taking on this extremely important challenge,” Wenger said in a statement.

“Not only because I have always been interested in analysing football from a broader perspective but also because Fifa’s mission as world football’s governing body is truly global.”

The new role brings Wenger back to the game for the first time since 2018, when he left Arsenal after 22 years in charge.

Wenger made the Gunners one of the strongest sides in Europe, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups and taking his team to the 2006 Champions League final.

On Saturday Wenger denied claims by Bayern Munich that they had turned down his offer to take over at the German champions after the sacking of Niko Kovac.

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Sports

Arsenal hero backed to replace Unai Emery After draw with Wolves

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Arsenal hero Freddie Ljungberg has been backed to replace Unai Emery with Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Wolves increasing the pressure on the Gunners boss.

Arsenal have been linked with appointing Freddie Ljungberg as their new boss amid their struggles under Unai Emery.

And, in the wake of their 1-1 Premier League draw with Wolves on Sunday, the Independent say the former Gunners star is ready to step in as caretaker boss should Emery’s head roll.

The Spaniard is under pressure at Arsenal. His side have not won four of their last five games with the draw against Wolves coming after defeats to Sheffield United and Liverpool, as well as another stalemate with Crystal Palace.

Arsenal want to resist calls to sack Emery until the end of the season.

But the report says that Ljungberg is ready to spectacularly step in as caretaker should they have a change of heart.

They’d still rather give Emery time to turn things around, particularly given he steered them to the Europa League final last season.

But they’re aware that the feelings of anger among fans are rising and that, simply put, they should be doing better.

Arsenal thought Emery was the right man to replace Arsene Wenger in 2018, choosing the 47-year-old over the likes of Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira.

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Sports

John Terry’s message to Abraham, Loftus-Cheek and Tomori that Chelsea fans will love

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

John Terry made his Chelsea first-team debut 20 years ago this month.

In fact, it came on October 28, 1998 as he was a substitute against Aston Villa – with whom he’s currently an assistant head coach – in a League Cup tie at Stamford Bridge which ended 4-1 to the hosts.

And one member of the current Blues squad who has followed in Terry’s footsteps in terms of coming through the ranks at the club had a superb message for the former defender.

To mark the occasion, Tammy Abraham sent the Blues legend a picture of the club’s academy players watching that exact game from two decades ago.

The twist being that the players were babies at the time and were watching from their cots – something which made Terry feel rather old.

When @tammyabraham1 sends you this pic and makes you feel old,” Terry wrote on instagram and tagged Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount and Recce James.

He then brought up a brilliant and hilarious point about Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fikayo Tomori and Abraham.

“You 3 shouldn’t have been up that late watching the game,” he added.

This prompted every player tagged in the photo to respond.

Abraham said: “I keep laughing at this.”

Mount replied with: “That’s brilliant.”

Loftus-Cheek had the real question: “Am I the only one wondering why we have beards and are sleeping in cots?”

Tomori said: “Love it.” James said: “Class.” While Hudson-Odoi reacted with a few laughing emojis.


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Latest NewsSports

Betin set to render 2,500 Kenyans jobless

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Betin has announced that it would be closing down 500 retail outlets, rendering another 2,500 Kenyans jobless.

The firm said in a statement that the government’s hard stance left it with no option but to issue its staff with redundancy notices.

They will join thousands of Kenyans who have lost their jobs since July in a wave of layoffs by companies seeking to remain afloat.

This has created fear among Kenyans working in both formal and informal sectors.

Betin joins other betting firms in the country that have laid off their workers after they failed to meet the tax obligations. 

In an earlier statement, the firm had announced that its employees will be rendered redundant on October 31, 2019.

“In view of the above, we have had financial constraints as you might all expect. As a result of the deterioration of the profitability, the management has had to rethink its operational model and to proceed with the exercise of termination on account of redundancy,” wrote Betin in their statement.

Sportpesa also closed its shops in Kenya laying off all their employees.

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Sports

Is Odibets a silver lining for the Kenyan Betting industry?

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Odibets is one of the most popular betting sites in Kenya. From their slogan, ’betextraordinary’, you can surely tell they are something unique. They are a notch higher than other betting sites and truly deliver what they promise.  But are they Kenya’s fastest rising betting hope?

Odibets has grown tremendously with their website being ranked as the 5th most visited website in Kenya just behind Betika according to mafans.com. Although the company halted its sponsorship of Mathare United in the Kenya premier league a little while ago, the slew of bet winners coming from their site proves they’re stable and can pay.

The betting firm keeps the youth sports needs at heart, whether through offering better betting odds or sponsoring local tournaments and kitting over 35,000 youth in the country.

What are the features on Odibets?

Odibets has come a long way in improving the betting world for the sports enthusiasts, mostly the youth. It has a keen interest of catching the eye of punters who need more value for their money that other sites lack. It comes with a number of features which makes them stand out. These include the following:

Numerous betting markets

Odibets is an all-round betting site that includes a number of betting techniques such as the live bets on a variety of sports such as tennis, football, American football, boxing, rugby, handball, basketball, ice hockey, cricket and so on. You have something to choose from depending on what interests you more in the sporting world and where most of your sports knowledge lies. On a daily basis, they offer over 600 sports events all over the world for betting.

However, it may not have included all the crucial parts of the most experienced betting sites in their menu, in the near future, the most experienced and gurus in the betting field will not have something to complain about.

Free first deposit of the day

This feature is more favorable for new and existing customers of Odibets. For amount from kshs 49 and above, you got to enjoy free deposits. On normal deposits, there is a transaction fee included depending on the amount you are sending. For example, depositing 100 shillings requires a 5 KES charge. Odibets makes it possible for you to deposit the 100 shillings into your account for free. This is how it works; say you are depositing 100 shillings, your account will not read 95 shillings rather 100.odibets refunds the deposit fee into your Odibets account making it a free deposit.

Free bet for new customers

For a new customer on Odibets, you are welcomed with a free bet worth kshs.30. Isn’t that great? You can access your free bet through selecting Home team win (1) or draw(X) or away team win (2) from the free games bet of that day. You can then include your phone number and choose your account password at least 6 or more characters and submit free bet. Using that simple procedure, you can create your Odibets account and place your free bet. It’s a great feeling having you on the odi family.

Win Boost

Withholding tax spelt doom for the betting industry, shutting off a number of players in the process. Instead of gamblers shelving all the cost, Odibets has a program that rewards customers with a 10% boost of their winnings. It’s available for all Odibets customers. What are you waiting for?

Live betting and virtual games

You can easily access the live betting on the homepage on Odibets. Placing bets while the games are ongoing has never been easy. You will easily place virtual bets on their websites at no additional fee.

It is truly Kenyan

Odibets.com is totally a Kenyan owned website owned by Kareco Holdings Limited. It is licensed and registered by the BCLB (Betting Control and Licensing Board) under the betting, gaming and Lotteries act. It is an authentic site worth trying. Enjoy your betting.

How to Deposit on odibets

Odibets gives you an easier task for depositing money into your account. You can either do it in two ways. Fist, you can access the deposit option on the Odibets.com page , enter amount to deposit and you will receive a pop up message from Mpesa confirming the amount you are sending to Odibets or go to the Mpesa menu, select pay bill, enter business number 290680,enter ODI as the account number, the amount, your Mpesa pin and ok. You will then receive a confirmation message.

How to Withdraw winnings on Odibets

Odibets allows you withdraw funds through Mpesa. Not exceeding kshs 20,000 per transaction.

Why you should join Odibets

Odibets has in the recent months trended for being worth your coin on their betting sites. With a large number of options to choose from their sports gallery, there is more to it to make you bet with Odibets. These include:

  • Easy to use website

When using Odibets, you do not have to deplete all your bundles to access their page. It only requires a simple log in process and you are good to go.  Its website is also a professional one and you can trust them. You can also bet on any mobile phone in a simple way or send ODI to SMS code 29680 to register and place a bet.

  • Boosted odds

On all their games, they offer boosted odds to help increase the amount you win. It is known for its boosted odds in the betting industry in Kenya.

  • Fast customer care response

Odibets ensues they answer their customers questions clearly and solve their issues on their Facebook page faster. You can also be entertained in the comment section on their page.

  • Fast deposits

In most of the betting sites, you need to have the pay bill number to make deposits. Odibets has made it easier for you as you only need to select deposit on the homepage and continue with the deposit process.

  • Game cancellation/delete option
  • Minimum betting amount of ksh 1

Disadvantages

As much as you can enjoy more on Odibets, there are a number of crucial features which makes it challenging to access it full services. These include:

  • Use of Mpesa only on deposits. it does not have the option of other money transfers such as airtel money or banks to deposit or withdraw funds
  • They do not have an app but their website is adaptive to all devices used by Kenyans.

Overall, Odibets is among the best betting sites having taken the Kenyan market by storm. You can easily sign up on Odibets by visiting https://odibets.com

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Sports

New unique feature on Odibets sees Vihiga painter win big

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Alex Odary, a painter from Vihiga County in Western Kenya is the latest winner on OdiBets – one of the few licenced betting companies in Kenya.

Alex, a father of two won, Ksh 445,200/= twice totaling to Ksh 890,400/= after duplicated his 11 team multibet with a stake of Ksh 49/=.

The elated artisan could not hide his joy upon receiving his winnings. “This is the best day of my life, I normally bet on sms or online and today I have won. Thank you so much OdiBets,” he said.

Speaking at the awarding of the winner’ cheque at the Nairobi Headquarters, OdiBets Country Marketing manager Aggrey Sayi noted that in a bid to better the customer experience, the company has introduced the “copy betslip” feature which allows customers to copy betslips of  their already placed bets and to add or reduce matches then bet again.

Alex plans to use his money to set up a paint shop for himself and a salon for his wife adding that the latter “stood with him when he was broke”.

OdiBets is one of the few licenced and tax compliant betting companies after the recent  government on non-compliant betting companies in Kenya which led to the closure of gaming industry leaders like Sportpesa, Betin and BetPawa among others.

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Sports

HISTORY MADE! Brigid Kosgei breaks Marathon record which has stood for 16 years!

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei has won the Chicago Marathon breaking Paula Radcliffe’s record which has stood for 16 years.

She won the women’s Marathon in Chicago in a time of 2.14.04.

She has retained her Chicago title.

Brigid has just smashed Paula’s Women’s World Marathon Record time of 2:15:25 set in 2003.

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Sports

Why pacemakers dropped back as Kipchoge approached finish line

by Mustafa Juma
written by Mustafa Juma

Eliud Kipchoge has become the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours, beating the mark by 20 seconds.

The Kenyan, 34, covered the 26.2 miles (42.2km) in one hour 59 minutes 40 seconds in the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria on Saturday.

It will not be recognised as the official marathon world record because it was not in open competition and he used a team of rotating pacemakers.

“This shows no-one is limited,” said Kipchoge.

“Now I’ve done it, I am expecting more people to do it after me.”

The Olympic champion – who holds the official marathon world record of 2:01:39, set in Berlin, Germany in 2018 – missed out by 25 seconds in a previous attempt at the Italian Grand Prix circuit at Monza in 2017.

Also Read: History Made! Eliud Kipchoge Becomes First Human to Run a Marathon in Under 2 Hours

Knowing he was about to make history on the home straight, the pacemakers dropped back to let Kipchoge sprint over the line alone, roared on by a large crowd in the Austrian capital.

The four-time London Marathon winner embraced his wife Grace, grabbed a Kenyan flag and was mobbed by his pacemakers, including many of the world’s best middle and long-distance runners.

Kipchoge, who compared the feat to being the first man on the moon in build-up to the event, said he had made history just as Britain’s Sir Roger Bannister did in running the first sub four-minute mile in 1954.

“I’m feeling good. After Roger Bannister made history, it took me another 65 years. I’ve tried but I’ve done it,” said the Kenyan.

“This shows the positivity of sport. I want to make it a clean and interesting sport. Together when we run, we can make it a beautiful world.”

With a leading pace car beaming green lasers on to the road to indicate the required pace of 2:50 per kilometre, Kipchoge never went slower than 2:52 for any.

To break the mark, he had to run 100m in 17.08 seconds 422 times in a row at a speed of 21.1kph (13.1 mph).

He was 10 seconds ahead of schedule at the halfway mark, before appearing to slow with a few 2:52 kilometres, only to regain the pace and kick on in the final stages.

Kipchoge was assisted by a team of 42 pacemakers, including Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz, Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo and the Ingebrigtsen brothers Jakob, Filip and Henrik.

They rotated in and out, running in formation around Kipchoge, with former 1500m and 5,000m world champion Bernard Lagat anchoring the final leg.

“They are among the best athletes in the world – so thank you,” added Kipchoge. “I appreciate them for accepting this job. We did this one together.”

Kipchoge’s coaches delivered him water and energy gels by bike over 4.4 laps of a 5.97-mile course in the city’s Prater park, instead of having to pick refreshments up from a table as in normal competition marathons.

These aids are not allowed under the rules of the IAAF, athletics’ world governing body, which is why it will not recognise this feat as the official marathon world record.

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