After one of the most excited men’s marathons in Olympic history, it was Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich who stole the show and won the race and the gold medal with a blazing time of 2:08:01, 19 seconds faster than second place.

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With the win, Kiprotich brings home the first medal of the 2012 Summer Olympics for Uganda.

As for the favored Kenyans, the duo of Abel Kirui (2:11:06) and Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (2:09:37) finished in second and third respectively, a stellar showing from a marathon superpower.

While there were three Americans who tried to bring glory home for the red, white and blue, only star Meb Keflezighi finished the race. He finished with a time of 2:11:06.

Now that the track and field portions of the Olympics are in the books, it’s obvious that the men’s marathon was one of the brightest highlights of 2012.

 

Twitter Reaction

BBC Sports has been all over the results of the 2012 Olympics and I will miss coverage this great for all my sports:

CNN newswriter RA Green talks about how Uganda won their first medal on the last day of competition, better late than never:

Lucky for us, @madoublethew was on hand in London to see the last stretch of action in the men’s marathon:

In one of the best stories of the 2012 Olympics, BBC Africa is reporting about the runner competing under the Olympic flag:

 

Stars That Shined

Hi-res-150198240_crop_exact Michael Steele/Getty Images

Stephen Kiprotich, Uganda

Before Stephen Kiprotich stole the show in the men’s marathon, the Ugandans had not won a medal in the 2012 Olympics. Not only do they grab one on the final day of the Summer Games, it was a gold medal.

As if Kiprotich’s back-story wasn’t inspirational enough, his words spoke to the love he has for his homeland and his dedication to the sport. It was truly a great moment when he spoke to reporters after the race.

 

Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, Kenya

The Kenyans are the most dominant nation in the world when it comes to marathon running for men and women, and they proved it again when Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich won silver and bronze respectively.

While the duo had a good hold on the lead for a majority of the race, it was a late move by Stephen Kiprotich that put the Kenyans out of the reach for a win for good.

 

Meb Keflezighi, USA

While Team USA isn’t known for its strengths in marathon running, they have one of the biggest stars in the sport: Meb Keflezighi. After he finished in fourth in the 2004 Games and missing the 2008 Olympics with various injuries, a fourth-place finish was a great source of redemption.

At 37 years old, this is likely Meb’s last chance at glory, but his career was filled with hard work and overcoming adversity; he has truly lived the American dream.

 

Check back for more on the 2012 Summer Olympics as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Olympics page to get your fill of the best athletes the world has to offer.