Victor Kiplangat enabled Uganda to win the first marathon gold medal in its history at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday, despite a mistake at the end of the course, reports Ouest-France.
About a kilometer from the finish line, the runner took the wrong route. At a place where there was no barrier, the 22-year-old athlete opted for the wrong path, which he walked for regarding 40 meters before retracing his steps.
This blunder, however, did not prevent him from winning the race, but possibly deprived him of a record.
Victor Kiplangat completed the marathon in 2:10:55, more than a minute and a half ahead of his closest rival. Nevertheless, his time is nearly two minutes short of the all-time Games record set in 1974 by Ian Thompson (2:09:12).
