Kenya's Kipchoge dominates, defends Olympic marathon title
Sapporo: Eliud Kipchoge pulled away late and no one could come close to catching him as the 36-year-old from Kenya defended his Olympic marathon title.
Kipchoge finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 38 seconds on a breezy and humid Sunday along the streets of Sapporo. It was more than 80 seconds ahead of runner-up Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands. Bashir Abdi of Belgium earned bronze to close out the track and field portion of the Tokyo Games.
Really, this was a running clinic. Kipchoge smiled along the way and even fist-bumped a fellow racer. Kipchoge becomes the third athlete to win multiple gold medals in the men's marathon, joining Abebe Bikila (1960, '64) and Waldemar Cierpinski ('76, '80).
Kipchoge, wearing white-and-pink Nikes, took off around the 30-kilometer mark and never looked back. Well, once, near the finish. There was no one even close.
On a day with plenty of cloud cover, Kipchoge cruised. The temperature was around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 Celsius) at the start and climbing to 84 (29). The men's race stayed at the same time after the women's race was moved up an hour the day before to avoid the heat.
It was humid, though, at 81% as the runners wound their way through Sapporo, which is located about 500 miles (about 830 kilometers) north of Tokyo. The race was moved to escape the extreme heat, but it was about the same temperature in Tokyo and rainy.
Taking the starting line were 106 runners. Finishing were far less, with more than two dozen not finishing. The top American was Galen Rupp in eighth place.
Along the way, runners were treated to actual fans clapping and cheering. One fan even brought drums, making the atmosphere feel almost normal. Spectators haven't been allowed in the venues during the Tokyo Olympic due to coronavirus protocols.
The fans saw a dominating performance from Kipchoge, who was a huge favorite as both the defending champion from Rio de Janeiro and the world record holder (2:01:39). In October 2019, he became the first to complete a marathon in under two hours. The time didn't count as a world record, though, because it wasn't held under race conditions.
Already etched in the Kenyan record books, Kipchoge added another chapter: He joined Kip Keino and Vivian Cheruiyot on the women's side as the only ones from the country to win four Olympic medals.
In addition to his marathon golds, Kipchoge also has silver ('08) and bronze ('04) in the 5,000 meters.
Kipchoge diligently trained at elevation to get ready for this race. He said the key to running "is not magic science. It's not rocket science, to be at the top for a long time."
Instead, he attributes his "systems" for his success teammates who can push him and a coach who can teach.
"I have what it deserves for me to actually stay long," he said.
This may or may not be his last big race. He played coy when asked about it recently.
"You'll still see me around," Kipchoge said.
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'Biggest political conspiracy': teary Arvind Kejriwal after court discharge in liquor policy case
New Delhi (PTI): An emotional Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asserted that the corruption case against him was the "biggest political conspiracy" in the history of Independent India, as a court here discharged him in the politically sensational liquor policy case.
After the court verdict, Kejriwal broke down while talking to the reporters. The AAP convener was present in the court when the order was passed.
"The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are 'Kattar Imaandar'," he said, accompanied by former deputy chief minister of Delhi Sisodia.
Kejriwal alleged that the "conspiracy" of the excise case was hatched to finish off AAP at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"I always used to say that the god is with us. Modi ji and Amit Shah ji together hatched the biggest political conspiracy of Independent India. The five biggest leaders of AAP were sent to jail for finishing off the party," the former Delhi chief minister alleged.
First time a sitting Chief Minister was "dragged out of his home and put in jail," Kejriwal said and reminded people of his and Sisodia's jailing.
The entire case was fake, asserted Kejriwal, who was arrested in the alleged liquor scam case in March 2024 by the Enforcement Directorate.
"Mud slinging was resorted to against us. There were round-the-clock TV debates, and news was flashed that Kejriwal is corrupt," he said, breaking down.
He continued in a hoarse voice, "I have only earned honesty. They registered a fake case. Today, it's proved, the court has said 'Kejriwal Kattar Imandar Hai, Manish Sisodia Kattar Imandar Hai, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Kattar Imandar Hai.'"
The AAP supremo said he wanted to tell the prime minister not to toy with the country and the Constitution in his pursuit of power.
"If you want power, do good things. There are so many problems -- inflation, unemployment, broken down roads, pollution -- solve these problems to come to power," he said.
The AAP chief was greeted by his family at his residence on Feroz Shah Road. Party members and supporters danced to drum beats and distributed sweets.
Sunita Kejriwal, his wife, thanked the court and the judge for "bravery."
"Arvind Kejriwal led his entire life with honesty and for the progress of the country. But these people, in their greed for power, levelled fake charges, jailed his aides... But I had faith in God," she told PTI Videos.
Before the court vindication, the multi-crore-rupee corruption allegations led to the jailing of Kejriwal and Sisodia for an extended period of time.
After he went to prison, Kejriwal resigned from the post of Delhi chief minister, vowing to return to the post only when he was proven innocent.
Kejriwal became the first sitting Delhi chief minister to be arrested on March 21, 2024. He got bail from the Supreme Court on September 13 of the same year.
Sisodia, a former deputy chief minister, served around 17 months in jail before being released on bail.
On Friday, a Delhi court discharged both leaders in the excise policy-related corruption case, refusing to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet.
Special Judge Jitendra Singh said that the chargesheet had several lacunae not supported by evidence, as he discharged 21 more besides the two Aam Aadmi Party leaders in the matter.
K Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and a leader from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, was also among the acquitted.
The CBI has been probing alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the erstwhile-AAP government's now-scrapped excise policy.
