Victor Kiplangat heads into the men’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as the man to beat.
The Ugandan runner claimed gold in Budapest two years ago, becoming only the second athlete from his country to win a world marathon title, following in the footsteps of Stephen Kiprotich.
Kiplangat has shown consistency at the highest level. His personal best of 2:05:09 came in 2022, the same year he won Commonwealth gold despite a wrong turn late in the race.
That performance underlined his strength and composure under pressure, traits he will need again in Tokyo as he faces a stacked field.
Ethiopia and Kenya arrive with the fastest entrants, including Tadese Takele, Deresa Geleta, and Vincent Ngetich, all of whom have gone under 2:04 this year.
Israel’s Maru Teferi, silver medallist behind Kiplangat in Budapest, is also back in the hunt, while Britain’s Emile Cairess, Canada’s Cameron Levins, and Japan’s home hopefuls Ryota Kondo and Kyohei Hosoya add further depth to the line-up.
Even so, Kiplangat’s name carries weight. His Budapest triumph restored Uganda’s presence in marathon running a decade after Kiprotich, and a successful title defense would cement him as one of the sport’s leading figures.
The men’s marathon is set for September 15 in Tokyo, where Kiplangat will aim to keep the crown in Ugandan hands against one of the deepest fields in championship history.
