by Our Sports Desk

Eliud Kipchoge defended his London Marathon title yesterday by running only eight seconds slower than the world record and setting a course record on a chilly morning.

The 31-year-old Kenyan completed the 26.2-mile route in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 5 seconds.

“I realised I ran a world record for 30 kilometers, then between 30 and 40 I lost about 20 seconds,” Kipchoge said.

“The record can be for the next time but I’m happy I ran the course record.”

It was more than a minute faster than the previous London record of 2:04:29 set two years ago by Wilson Kipsang, who finished fifth yesterday.

More significantly, with Kipchoge preparing for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August, it was the second fastest marathon of all time, behind the mark of 2:02:57 set by Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014.

“The crowd is what pushed me,” Kipchoge said.

Jemima Sumgong claimed her first title after overcoming a fall at a water station with less than four miles remaining that left her holding her head in pain.

Aselefech Mergia and Mary Keitany fell with the Kenyan but couldn’t recover as strongly, finishing out of the top four.