Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge blows away field for first repeat marathon gold since 1980

For the first time in four decades, there was a repeat winner in an Olympic marathon. And it wasn't even close.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge took his second straight gold medal in the marathon in emphatic fashion on Sunday, outrunning the field by more than a minute with a time of 2:08:38.

Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands finished in second place for silver, while Belgium's Abdir Bashar took bronze. Only four seconds separated Nageeye and the fourth-place finisher, Kenya's Lawrence Cherono.

The 36-year-old Kipchoge spent much of the race sticking with the lead pack, but broke away in the final phase and built up a commanding lead. Team USA's Galen Rupp, the 2016 bronze medalist, also spent much time in that pack before fading to eighth place.

With Olympic wins in both Rio and Tokyo, Kipchoge is the first person to repeat as marathon champion since East Germany's Waldemar Cierpinski in 1976 and 1980. The only other person to ever repeat is Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia in 1960 and 1964.

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