Ugandan surprises to win Olympic marathon | ajc.com
For Stephen Kiprotich, being a relative unknown had an advantage: When the Ugandan runner joined the leaders late in the Olympic marathon, no one really paid that much attention.
That was part of his plan — blend in and then take the competition by surprise
And also by winning gold, he made sure he won't be overlooked again.
He's an unknown no longer.
"They didn't expect me to win. I was keeping behind them, keeping the fire burning," he said. "When they (went), they thought they'd left me, but I was there. When my time came, I said, 'Now, I go.'"
And off he went, leaving many to wonder: Where did this runner come from?
"People didn't expect Uganda. They thought Kenya, Ethiopia," Kiprotich said. "I've been keeping quiet. Not now."
"It means a lot to me. Being unknown, now I'm known," he said. "So I'm happy. I'm happy now I'm a known athlete."
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Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda
clocking 2 hours, 8 minutes, 1 second for the Marathon (42.195km) @ Olympics 2012
......MrDA13's PB marathon timing: 5 hours 5 minutes 11 seconds
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