It was a performance of stamina, poise, calm and maturity that wrote his name in the record books and turned him into a hero for the country.

He was a rank outsider then. And in Sapporo, Japan on Sunday (August 8), he will once again be a rank outsider. The overwhelming favourite will be Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder, defending champion and arguably greatest marathoner in history.

But sport is awash with upsets, surprises and the unexpected. It is precisely why the world will be tuned in on Sunday early morning to see the ultimate test of endurance and resilience.

Kiprotich, who is also Uganda’s team captain in Tokyo, has now built bags of experience and exposure and will know what to expect in the searing heat of Japan. In Rio de Janeiro, he finished a distant 14th. He was a non-factor and if Tokyo 2020 is to be his last major appearance, he will want to leave it in style.

It has been an Olympics of shock champions and no one can predict with certainty how events will unfold especially when you consider that so much can go right and wrong over 42km in a race under Sapporo’s humidity.

Running alongside Kiprotich will be Fred Musobo and Felix Chemonges, two younger compatriots whose better years are ahead of them. Chemonges, 26, is the national record holder with a time of 2:05:12 and will be appearing at his first Olympic Games.

Musobo, 25, has the season’s best time of all the three (2:08:24). The race will start in the wee hours of Sunday morning local time, which will be breakfast time in Sapporo, 500 miles north of the host city.

On Saturday morning, meanwhile, Juliet Chekwel and Immaculate Chemutai will represent the country in the women’s marathon. Chekwel and Chemutai will have to better their personal best times to remotely stand a chance of featuring in the medal brackets.

Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei will be favourite alongside compatriot Ruth Chepngetich and Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter. It will also be the first time an Olympic marathon race takes place without fans.

In normal marathons, fans line the race route to cheer on runners as they plow through mile after mile. But organisers decided last month that both the men’s and women’s marathons would take place on empty streets with no spectators on hand to support the runners.

Saturday, August 7 @1am 
Women’s marathon

Sunday, August 8 @1am
Men’s marathonÂ