Just a short walk from the finishing line of the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon are four lion statues reclining quietly underneath the plinth of Nelson’s Column facing the Uganda House in Trafalgar Square, central London. Just across the road from Admiralty Arch, four Kenyan lions whizzed into the record books after pounding 26.2 miles on British capital’s cold and wet roads crossing the finish line amid tumultuous applause to win the world’s most famous event.
Eliud Kipchoge carried the crown for Kenya, clocking 02:04:42; fellow Kenyan Wilson Kipsang’ just five seconds behind him; world record holder Dennis Kimetto behind them clocking 02:05:50 and the fourth Kenyan, Stanley Biwott, trailing behind the trio at 02:06:41.
A field of five of the seven fastest marathon runners in history pitted against the Team Kenya. The ‘mighty ones’ did put up a brilliant charge but kept on dropping one by one. They were no match against the stamina and tactics of Kipchoge and Kipsang’.
Kipsang’ dominated the field from the start, but Kipchoge outran him to carry the crown. This might well have been a Team Kenya tactic to seal victory.
The Fantastic Four, as they have been fondly called, were not short of fans. Some 300 Kenyan diaspora members ranging from parents to their children were at hand at the finish line to cheer the legendary athletes - dancing and singing and making an open show of patriotism and love for Kenya.
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There was a ‘sea’ of hundreds of mini Kenyan flags waving signalling the victory.
Many Kenyans sat on the green lawns of the Admiralty Arch with their families and friends to enjoy a Sunday picnic.
Members of the Malaika Dance Unique burst into a frenzy of drumming enticing other wananchi to put their best foot forward and step on to the impromptu dance floor on the roadside in the Admiralty Arch.
The colourful spectacle, in turn, attracted hundreds of other visitors – like bees to honey. They were so mesmerised with the gusto of the diaspora’s celebrations with their hips gyrating, foot thumping and bobbing Kenyan flags that some of them – the English, Japanese, Europeans and Chinese - simply could not be stopped from joining them. Others whipped out their cameras and videos to record these celebrations for posterity.
Kenyan student Macharia from Birmingham said: “The fifth position taken by Ethiopian Tilshun Regessa is a bit of spoiler for us, otherwise we would have had a clean sweep of top five positions, if the sixth-placed Samuel Kitwara had speeded up after Biwott.”
Still, the Kenyan performance was something to be proud of.
Around 37,800 fund-raisers, amateur runners and elite runners such as our Fantastic Four had lined up on the start line of this marathon, making it the biggest in the event’s 35 year history.
The athletes were watched by some 750,000 spectators, including many British Kenyans, who had lined up on the 26.2 mile route to watch our heroes in action. Each time they whizzed by, the Kenyan flag went up with cries of “Kenya Juu!”
Councillor Elizabeth Kang’ethe, the Kenyan-born Mayor of Barking and Dagenham, said: “Congratulations team Kenya. We are really proud of you. Tunajivunia kuwa Wakenya Uingereza. I am very proud to be Kenyan.”
Sunil, another Kenyan said: “Ours is a great country and there is no better way of cheering our athletes than by coming out in big numbers and showing our love for Kenya.”
Kenyan High Commissioner, Lazarus Amayo, joined Kenyans to share the joy of the victory.
— shamlalpuriStandard@gmail.com
