London Marathon 2012 Results: Mary Keitany's Win Is Precursor to Olympic Gold

Mary Keitany destroyed the field in the 2012 London Marathon and should be considered to be the heavy favorite to win the gold medal this summer in the 2012 Olympics.

Per LetsRun.com, Keitany's time of 2:18:37 was good enough for the third-best time in world history and the best time in Kenyan history.

The most amazing part of her performance in London wasn't how she started, but how she finished.

Incredibly, Keitany's best mile times came at the end of the race. By the time she hit the 22-mile mark, only Edna Kiplagat was able to keep up with her torrid pace. 

By the 23-mile mark, even Kiplagat was nowhere to be found. Keitany ran the final 10k in 30:33 seconds, a freakishly fast time to close out a race, especially considering that she didn't have anyone pushing her from behind.

This can only mean that she's dead-set on breaking the world record at the summer Olympics, and I for one believe she will do it.

The only woman that might challenge her this summer is Russia's Liliya Shobukhova, the No. 2 runner in world history with her 2:18:20 time in Chicago last fall. 

She won't win over Keitany, though, who's now won the last two years in a row in London and isn't accustomed to losing. Throughout her glorious career, Keitany has placed first in 11 major marathons and has the world record for half-marathons .

She will win again and claim a gold medal with the entire world watching this summer when the Olympics take place in London, one of her favorite cities. 

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