Eliud Kipchoge has lived up to his star billing at the Melbourne Marathon with a race-record performance.

Kenya’s two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder has delighted several thousand fans at the MCG on Sunday morning with a dominating run.

Kipchoge broke away inside the last 10km of the 42.2km Nike race and won in two hours nine minutes 10 seconds - two seconds inside the previous race best.

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Eliud Kipchoge had been lapping up the crowd’s cheers at the MCG before crossing the line in first. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

He would have finished a few second quicker, but was waving to the crowd on the half-lap inside the MCG to the finish.

Australian Thomas Do Canto was runner-up in 2:10:35 and New Zealand’s Camille French won the women’s race in 2:28:25.

Kipchoge, 41, last won a marathon in 2023. He looked at the finish like it had been an easy training run, spending several minutes with fans alongside the MCG boundary line.

This is only his second visit to Australia and his Melbourne Marathon debut. It is part of Kipchoge’s world tour, featuring a marathon on all seven continents, including Antarctica.