Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich draws away in marathon

LONDON -- A runner named Kiprotich winning the Olympic marathon? Hardly a surprise. That he was the one from Uganda and not Kenya? Major surprise.

Stephen Kiprotich rounded a corner with three miles left and took off, turning the last mile into a victory lap as he easily captured the marathon yesterday, along with the only medal for Uganda at the London Games.

"People didn't expect Uganda. They thought Kenya, Ethiopia," Kiprotich said. "Being unknown, now I'm known."

Sure is.

Kiprotich won in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 1 second, as he pulled away from the Kenyan duo of Abel Kirui and Wilson Kiprotich Kipsang, who was the "Kiprotich" favored in this race. Kirui ended up with the silver and Kipsang held on for bronze just ahead of American Meb Keflezighi.

On a warm afternoon, the marathoners wound their way through a scenic route packed with swarms of fans, breezing past Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge and the Tower of London before finishing near Buckingham Palace.

After crossing the finish line, Stephen Kiprotich dropped to his knees, bowed and raised his hands high over his head. It was Uganda's seventh Olympic medal in any sport and second gold. John Akii-Bua, a 400-meter hurdler, won the other gold 40 years ago in Munich. "I made history with my people," Kiprotich said. "They didn't expect me to win."

The Kenyans, who were looking at a possible podium sweep, just couldn't keep up. Kirui & Co. were competing in memory of the late Sammy Wanjiru, who won the country's first Olympic marathon four years ago in Beijing. Wanjiru died last year after a fall from a second-story balcony during a domestic dispute.

"In my mind, I was thinking Kiprotich is fading away. In my mind, I was thinking gold is for me," Kirui said. "To my friend Kiprotich, congratulations. He was the best today; that is why he won. For us, we don't really feel bad that he won."