by Paul Giblin
LONDON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Steven Kiprotich won the gold medal in the Olympic marathon on Sunday to bring the curtain down on the athletics events at the 2012 London Games.
The marathon, that legendary test of stamina and resolve, on this occasion run through the heart of London, past the city's famous tourist sights, is the perfect way to end the athletics, containing as it does the virtues of effort, dedication and the ability to suffer to achieve success.
Kiprotich was part of a group of three athletes, himself and Kenyan duo of Abel Kiru and Wilson Kiprotich, who broke clear of the field to have just about assured they would share the three medals with around 12 kilometers remaining.
From that moment it was a question of timing the decisive move and judging strength for the final acceleration. Steve Kiprotich did that to perfection, kicking to leave his rivals trailing behind with just under five kilometers left to run.
While Wilson Kiprotich was unable to respond, Kiru looked to give chase, but was unable to make up the distance leaving the Ugandan to enter the finishing straight in the Mall, with Buckingham Palace a stately backdrop, with a comfortable lead.
That allowed him to take a Ugandan flag and it was with that flag draped proudly across his shoulders that he crossed the finish line 26 seconds ahead of Kiru, with his namesake taking bronze.
"All I can say is that I am happy to win a medal for my country. I love my people and in Uganda we are very happy because we had not won the gold medal in a marathon race before," said the winner.
Steven Kiprotich explained his race tactics.
"The pace was too fast and I know I could not run away from them (The Kenyans), so I just had to try and keep up with them. I had to settle in to my pace and then I had to break away, because I wanted to win this medal," he said.
Kiru was also pleased with his silver medal, saying: "No, I am not disappointed. I already wrote my own Olympic history by winning silver. I had a great battle for gold but the conditions were tough and difficult. I am happy with my silver."
However, the marathon is not just about winning medals: the enormous effort involved means that every athlete taking part in the race deserved the applause of the thousands of people who lined the streets.
"What I found amazing was the crowd. People were cheering us all the way and that doesn't often happen in marathons," said Poland's Henryk Szost, who finished ninth
Applause then is what they all received because at the end of the day, all are worthy of the title "Olympian".
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