by Justin Lagat
This is Justin Lagat’s first article on the 2022 Commonwealth Games, being held in Birmingham, England. This was Julia Stenson’s third Commonwealth Games medal in the marathon, as she took bronze in 2014 Glasgow and 2018 Gold Coast!
Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat and Australia’s Jessica Stenson won their respective first-ever gold medals in the men’s and women’s marathon events for their countries on the first day of athletics action at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In the closing stages of the men’s race, the battle for the gold medal was between Felix Simbu of Tanzania and Kiplangat at the front, while the rest battled for the bronze medal behind them. Kiplangat was eventually able to build a big gap on Simbu to win the marathon in 2:10:55, with Simbu following in 2:12:29, while Kenya’s Githae finished 3rd in 2:13:16.
It was almost a similar version for Australia’s Jessica Stenson as she extended her lead on Kenya’s Margaret Muriuki by 18 seconds at 40km and by a further 11 seconds at the finish line as she won the race in 2:27:31. In a new personal best time, Muriuki finished second for the silver medal in 2:28:00. The bronze medal went to the defending champion, Helalia in 2:28:39.
On the 18km lap course that was run twice and completed with a 6.2km lap to the finish line, the men’s race began at around 1hr and 30 minutes before the women’s.
Felix Simbu of Tanzania had taken the initiative to lead within the first kilometer of the men’s marathon race, with Australia’s Liam Adams following closely before overtaking and surging forward at only 10 minutes into the race.
Adams crossed the 5km in 15:42 with a chasing pack of six runners intent on closing his gap, some four seconds behind him. The chasers, who were in a single file of four runners led by Simbu, closed the gap on Adams at around 10km. They crossed in 31:06.
But Adams extended his lead again at the next water station, moments after the lead pack of five runners had formed. Michael Githae of Kenya had fought back after being momentarily dropped and got re-attached into the chasing pack again.
With the clock showing 1:04:34 at the half marathon mark, Adams’s pace was good for setting a new Commonwealth Games record.
Uganda’s Kiplangat took to the lead at around 25km and, together with Simbu and Githae, began to open the gap on the rest. However, the pace slowed down again, and a group of six regrouped in the leading pack.
The first part of the women’s race had unfolded differently. A huge pack went together at a moderate pace for the better part of the race as twelve runners crossed 15km together.
After the half marathon point was crossed at 1:15:06, Eloise Wellings of Australia gradually increased the pace as they approached the 25km, and the leading pack soon whittled down to five. Kenya’s Margaret Muriuki increased the pace further, and Wellings and Tanzania’s Failuna Matanga began to lose some ground as Muriuki, Australia’s Jessica Stenson, and Helalia Johannes of Namibia remained in the lead crossing the 30km mark in 1: 46:12.
At 2hrs and 10 minutes into the race, the defending champion, Helalia was dropped from the leading pack, and the battle for gold remained between Stenson and Muriuki.
