Who is Benson Kipruto? Star athlete threatening to dethrone Eliud Kipchoge

By Luttah Njomo

Before the Sunday Tokyo Marathon, Benson Kipruto was not widely known in the Kenyan athletic field.

With many Kenyans and the world rooting for Eliud Kipchoge to exert dominance in the race, a new king was reincarnated and grabbed the most important win.

The win catapulted Benson Kipruto to national heritage receiving accolades from President William Ruto, his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua and other political figures.

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“Congratulations Benson Kipruto, Timothy Kiplagat and Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich for the breathtaking podium sweep in the Tokyo Marathon.

Your hard work and dedication to the sport have earned you all respect globally, and it makes us very proud of you. Cheers!” Ruto wrote.

His praises filled various social media platforms for raising the Kenyan flag at a time when Kipchoge, the ceremonial king failed to keep up with the pace.

Kipruto stole the show from two-time defending Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge in the men's race at the Tokyo Marathon 2024 to win in a course record of 2:02.16.

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Kipchoge - who was the previous record-holder in the event with 2:02:40 - finished 10th in 2:06:50, the fourth slowest marathon time of the 39-year-old’s long career.

Kipruto led a podium sweep for Kenya with Timothy Kiplagat second (2:02:55) and Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich third (2:04:18).

Who is Benson Kipruto and what are his achievements?

According to World Athletics, the 32-year-old long-distance runner was born on March 17, 1991.  His athletic code is 14758213.

The fast-rising athlete has secured six World Major Marathon medals, including three gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

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In the men's marathon ranking, Kipruto is ranked third and 52 in the men's overall rankings.

During the 2023 season, Benson Kipruto finished on the podium in two World Major Marathons including the Chicago and Boston Marathons.

At the Chicago Marathon, he recorded 2:04.02 to finish second behind the late Kelvin Kiptum, who then registered a world record time of 2:00.35 to break Kipchoge's record.

Kipruto finished third behind Chebet and Gabriel Geay to clock 2:06.06 at the Boston Marathon.

In April 2022, Kipruto secured third place behind two fellow Kenyan runners, Evans Chebet and Lawrence Cherono, at the Boston Marathon, clocking 2:07.27.

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In October of the same year, he bettered his time to 2:04.24 to clinch the 44th Chicago Marathon title by finishing ahead of Seifu Tura Abdiwak and John Korir.

He has also competed in other races in Canada, Korea and Italy where he posted impressive performances.

With the departure of Kiptum who died following a tragic accident, sports analysts have backed Kipruto to give Kipchoge a run of his money in major races including the Olympics.

The star athlete attributed his stellar performance in Tokyo to proper practice and acclimatization with the environment.

"I didn’t know that it would be a course record but I am so happy with the run, I was ready. I knew it was so fast. I trained for it and I was ready for everything that could come," he stated.

However, Kenyans are waiting to see how his career progresses after making a breakout in Tokyo.

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