Benson Kipruto can earn himself a slice of Tokyo history this Sunday.
The Kenyan swept to a course record victory here last year en route to the AbbottWMM Series title, collecting Olympic bronze on his way.
2024 continued an impressive phase of the 33-year-old’s career that has seen him secure podium finishes every year since 2021 in Majors races.
After taking Eliud Kipchoge’s Tokyo record 12 months ago, he is back to do what no Kenyan has done since the race began and secure back-to-back titles.
The last man to achieve it was Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese in 2019 and 2020.
In any other era, Kipruto’s roll of honor would place him in the conversation about modern-day greats. He won Boston in 2021 and was second there 12 months later before claiming Chicago in the fall.
The following year Kipruto came third in Boston and second in the Windy City, making it two victories from four podiums in two seasons.
2024 got even better. After toppling Kipchoge in 2:02:16 in Tokyo, Kipruto booked a seat on the plane to Paris for the Olympics, and repaid the selectors’ faith with a bronze medal on that brute of a marathon course.
And yet in the record-shattering epoch of Kipchoge and Kelvin Kiptum, the tumbling of the world record and the focus on times over titles, Kipruto has arguably missed out on the limelight his resume deserves.
The steady consistency of three Majors titles, an Olympic medal and the Majors Series title itself has gone somewhat under the radar.
What cannot be overlooked is the intriguing field the organisers have assembled to test Kipruto’s desire to hang on to his title.
Derese Geleta is another member of the sub-2:03 club having put in an impressive display in Valencia at the end of last year. He arrives as the principal threat to Kipruto if he can recapture that form.
Kipruto’s countryman Vincent Ngetich was third in Tokyo last year and fourth in Chicago. He also made the podium in Berlin in 2023, coming second. He is another talented athlete threatening to snatch a Majors win soon.
Then there is the unknown quantity presented by Joshua Cheptegai.
The Ugandan track star faltered on his 26.2-mile debut in Valencia in 2023 and returned his focus to the stadium last year, a move that paid off with Olympic 10,000m gold.
He won the New Dehli half marathon in October in 59:46, which does not trouble the statisticians in these heady days of sub-57 world records for 13.1 miles, so there is little to go on as to how he will fare.
The weather is forecast to be unseasonably warm this coming Sunday, nothing Kipruto will shy away from given his experiences in the Parisian heat last summer, but it suggests the early pace may need to be somewhat forgiving.
The quiet man who always delivers, Kipruto can win slow and he can win fast; he can exude patience or he can apply the pressure. We will soon find out if anyone on the start line this weekend has a toolbox that is as well stocked.
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