Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge is no stranger to making history and bouncing back from setbacks to reign supreme in a decorated distance running career that has spanned two decades.
The two-time Olympic champion will be attempting to do what no other athlete, male or female, has ever achieved when he goes for his third straight men’s marathon gold at Paris 2024.
Kipchoge, who turns 40 in November, is out to mark a fairy-tale return to the same city, where he won his first and only world title 21 years ago.
Then, the Kenyan superstar was a fresh-faced 18-year-old who stunned retired Morocco’s distance running legend Hicham El Guerrouj and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele to take the men’s 5,000m gold at the 2003 World Championships.
Whether he wins or not, Kipchoge, 39, will make history when he lines up for the men’s marathon in France on August 10 as he will become the first and only Kenyan to compete at five Olympic Games.
“Winning a third Olympic (gold) medal would be a great thing. We have trained to go to France and give the fans a very good race. It will be good to run with spectators watching after what happened in Tokyo (where spectators were absent due to COVID-19 protocols),” Kipchoge stated.
Speaking recently as he wound up his training for the Games at Kaptagat, Kipchoge added that he was also aiming to become part of the first-ever Olympic marathon medal sweep.
“My teammates are very good and high class, energetic and disciplined runners. I believe we will run in a good way and all of us will make the podium,” Kipchoge said in Kaptagat, where the marathoners have been training for the Olympics.
And he has a formidable support cast. Benson Kipruto and the latest Kenyan marathon running sensation, Alexander Munyao, titleholders of the Tokyo and London Marathon titles respectively, complete the imposing line-up for Paris.
They will be running to honour the life of world marathon record holder, the late Kelvin Kiptum, who passed away in a road accident in February.
