Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich Wins Men's Marathon

Mike Groll/AP

For the first time in modern Olympic marathon history, Uganda claimed gold in the Men's Marathon Sunday. With a little over three miles to the finish line, Stephen Kiprotich surged ahead of two  better known Kenyans, Abel Kirui and Wilson Kiprotich Kipsang and remained in the lead for the remainder of the course. He finished with a time of two hours, one second and waved the Ugandan flag in jubilation for his accomplishment.

During an interview, he told the reporter, "I made history with my people.They didn't expect me to win. I was keeping behind them, keeping the fire burning. When they go, they thought they'd left me, but I was there. I kept in touch. Later, I said, 'I believe in myself.' Then, I made my move."

And what a move that was! Kirui and Kipsang drew nearer in the final few minutes, but they couldn't catch Kiprotich.

Rather than following the traditional path for laying the marathon course, the 2012 Olympic competitors followed a route that took them to many of London's most famous sights: Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, London Bridge and the Tower of London. The finish line was drawn in an area near Buckingham Palace, a fitting ending to a magnificent show of endurance.

Ham on Wry loves reporting on underdogs who create surprise endings. Congratulations to Stephen Kiprotich and his home country of Uganda.



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