Japanese connection pays off for champion

• Fuchiki’s game plan worked out very well as Wanjiru was already eight seconds ahead of his planned schedule
• Kenya’s previous best performances in the Olympics marathon race were also by Japan-based runners Douglas Wakiihuri and Eric Wainaina

The Moroccan’s game plan was not too different from Wanjiru’s. “I followed my plan. At first I was in the lead pack, a few metres before the finish line I started to speed up and overtake the leaders in case I lagged behind.”

Ethiopia’s Kebede regretted his inconsistent pace, saying the Kenyan game plan worked out well in keeping him at bay.

“The Kenyan athletes sometimes ran fast, but sometimes they ran slowly. I think that was the tactic they used and that was the main problem for me,” Kebede who overtook his tiring team-mate Deriba Merga with just 200 metres to go in the stadium, said.

Kibet, who won the World Championships title in Osaka last year, complained of stomach problems.

“I had a problem with my stomach. I started to feel it from the 15th kilometre. When I came to Beijing, I felt a lot better but the stomach was a big problem. It also gave me bad headaches,” Kibet said.

Lel was also not 100 percent fit coming into the race after battling with malaria and typhoid in the course of his training.

“I was happy to be selected to the Kenyan team and that’s why I came here and had to forgo the big city marathons,” Lel said.

“I struggled with the illness for some time and when we got to the 30-kilometre mark, I told Wanjiru to go for it and I’m so happy that he won the gold for Kenya.”

Lel – who last year became the first man to win the London and New York marathons in the same year - said he would first have a planning meeting with his Italian coach Claudio Berardelli to chart his plan for the next big marathon.