Dj Vnyash
Two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge is looking for new challenges after what he called his “worst Olympics” on Saturday in Paris. Kipchoge aimed to make history by becoming the first man to win three consecutive Olympic marathon titles, having previously triumphed in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. However, his journey ended unexpectedly at the 30km mark due to a sharp pain in his waist, finishing 71st with a time of 1:39:38.
Despite the setback, he downplayed the pain in post-race interviews, assuring that he was fine. Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola took the gold with an Olympic record of 2:06:26, followed by Belgium’s Bashir Abdi (2:06:47) and Benson Kipruto (2:07:00).
Reflecting on the Paris experience, Kipchoge stated that his focus is now on exploring new opportunities. “Every competition has its downsides, and Paris was not the best for me. I need to go back to the drawing board to see what opportunities are there for me to grab,” he said.
This was not Kipchoge’s only difficult marathon this year; in March, he finished 10th at the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:06:50, where Kipruto (2:02:16), Timothy Kiplagat (2:02:55), and Vincent Ngetich (2:04:18) claimed the top spots.
Despite the disappointment, the five-time Berlin Marathon champion emphasized that the Olympics is about more than just winning medals. “The Olympics is not about winning medals. It’s about participation. You participate first, represent your country and continent, and then compete to win medals,” he noted.
Kipchoge expressed gratitude to his fans both in Kenya and around the world for their unwavering support throughout his career. “I thank all the Kenyans and my fans across the world for their support. Over 50 million Kenyans have supported me as I continue to make Kenya a running country,” he said.
The 39-year-old first won the Olympic marathon title in Rio 2016, finishing in 2:08:44 and leading Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa (2:09:54) and USA’s Galen Rupp (2:10:05) to the podium. He successfully defended his title in Tokyo 2020 with a time of 2:08:38, finishing ahead of Netherlands’ Abdi Nageeye (2:09:58) and Abdi (2:10:00).
In addition to his five Berlin Marathon titles, Kipchoge has also won four London Marathons, the 2021 Tokyo Marathon, and the 2014 Chicago Marathon. He is a silver medallist from the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 5,000m and a bronze medallist from the 2004 Athens Games in the same event.
Kipchoge expressed confidence in the future of Kenyan marathoners, noting that the new generation of athletes is promising. “The future of Kenya is bright as far as marathon is concerned. There are a lot of strong, competitive, energetic, and disciplined athletes with great potential,” he stated.
Silverio Omari
