THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 21, 2023 Page 9 “The Old Sachem” Kenya Shines By Bill Stewart T he Boston Marathon of 2023 was expected to be won by Eliud Kipchoge. But Evans Chebet of Kenya outraced him as did three other Kenyans. Ethiopia also had a couple of runners to outpace Kipchoge, and maybe his domination of marathons is over. At 39, Kipchoge has won marathons all over the world. Kipchoge was born on the fifth of November 1984 in Kapsisiywa, Nandi County, in Kenya. As a student, he ran two miles a day to school every day. At 16, he met Patrick Sang, who became his trainer. Sang was a former Olympic medalist in the steeplechase. Kipchoge started out in competitive running with the 5000-meter distance and won his fi rst individual championship in 2003, winning the junior race of the World Cross Country Championships in Athletics, creating a record time for the race. In 2004, he won a bronze medal in the Olympic 5000, then another bronze at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He was a fi ve-time fi nalist in the World Championships and took silver medals in the 2007 World Championships, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. For those not familiar with runner racing, the winner receives a gold medal, second place receives a silver, and third place captures a bronze. In 2012 he switched from the 5000 to the half marathon running – the second-fastest time ever at 59:25 minutes. He switched again in 2013, winning the Hamburg Marathon in record time in Germany. He won his fi rst major marathon at the Chicago Marathon in 2014 and became a series champion a record fi ve times: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. He has won the London Marathon a record four times and shares the record of fi ve times for the Berlin Marathon with Haile Gebrselassie. Kipchoge has run 18 marathons, winning 15. His three losses were a second-place fi nish behind Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich at the 2013 Berlin Marathon, an eighth-place fi nish at the 2020 London Marathon and a sixth-place fi nish The COVID-19 Update Town reports 7 newly confi rmed cases; no new deaths By Mark E. Vogler T here were seven newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Saugus over the past week through Wednesday (April 19). The new cases reported by the state Department of Public Health (DPH) over the past week increased the overall total to 10,621 confi rmed cases since the outbreak of the global pandemic in March of 2020, according to Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree. This week’s total was a decrease of one from the number of newly confi rmed cases reported last week. This was the third consecutive week that the COVID-19 numbers dropped. The total of confi rmed cases has been under 10 in four of the past fi ve weeks. There were no new COVID-19-related deaths over the past week, as the death toll remained at 110. “Our hearts and prayers go out to those families aff ected by this health pandemic,” Crabtree said. J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping www.eight10barandgrille.com OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER AT 4 PM. CATCH THE CELTICS, BRUINS & NCAA SPORTS ON OUR 6 LARGE SCREEN TV'S! om in his fi rst Boston Marathon in 2023. He holds the current world record, and ran a time of 1:59:40.2 in the Challenge of Vienna, which is not considered a championship course. Eliud Kipchoge was appointed Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart by President Uhuru Kenyatta in October of 2019. The same year he was named the BBC World Sports Star of the Year. In the World Finals 5000, Kipchoge won gold at Paris in 2003, fourth at Helsinki in 2005, silver at Osaka in 2007, fi fth at Berlin in 2009 and seventh at Daegu in 2011. The race is run every two years. In the Olympic Finals of 5000 meters, he won bronze at Athens in 2004 and silver at Beijing in 2008. In Olympic Marathons, he won gold at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and gold again at Tokyo in 2020. Eliud Kipchoge will go down in history as one of the great“The Old Sachem,” Bill Stewart (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Joanie Allbee) est long-distance runners of all time. (Editor’s Note: Bill Stewart, better known to Saugus Advocate readers as “The Old Sachem,” writes a weekly column about sports – and sometimes he opines on current or historical events or famous people.)
10 Publizr Home