Eliud Kipchoge coy about Paris 2024 Olympics
Kenya's World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge (left) poses with Paris Saint-Germain's French striker Kylian Mbappe in Paris, France on October 29, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Kipchoge, who is a Paris 2024 ambassador, lauded the ingenuity of these efforts.
- "Paris 2024 will be unique. The idea to introduce a mass marathon participation of over 20,000 people and the hosting of the opening and closing ceremony of the games on the streets, will give the public an experience of a lifetime," Kipchoge said.
The years have creased on Eliud Kipchoge's face and, it is not surprising that since defending his Olympic title in Tokyo, everyone is curious to know if he will compete in the Paris 2024 Games.
The question came up on Sunday when he spoke to French media but, he gave no spoilers about the next episode of his career.
"I will make that decision later. Three years is still a lot so, the future will tell," Kipchoge, who turns 37 on November 5, responded.
He will be 40 when the Summer Games return to Paris.
Kipchoge delivered a masterclass in marathon running, breaking away at the 30-kilometre mark and never looking back to retain his Olympic title in two hours, eight minutes and 38 seconds during the Tokyo Olympics in August.
He became only the third man to defend the Olympic men’s marathon title after Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964) and East Germany’s Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980).
The victory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was Kipchoge’s 13th success in the 15 marathons he has raced in since 2013. He broke the world record in 2018 when he timed 2:01.39 in the Berlin Marathon.
On October 12, 2019, Kipchoge timed 1:59.40 at the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria. But the time did not count as a new marathon record since standard competition rules were not followed.
Kipchoge spoke after over 1,000 participants in a 5km pursuit-style challenge race crossed the finish line before him in Paris.
The lucky participants will participate in the Mass Marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics games. The challenge attracted 3,600 runners who had to complete the race before Kipchoge to earn a slot to participate in the first-ever Mass Marathon at the Olympics. The organisers of the event gave Kipchoge a handicap to level the playing field for amateur runners.
"Running with 3,600 people is a huge experience. It is wonderful to see people loving the sport," Kipchoge described his experience of participating in the challenge.
The Mass Marathon Participation is one of several unique ideas the organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics have introduced to bring the games closer to the people than ever before.
Kipchoge, who is a Paris 2024 ambassador, lauded the ingenuity of these efforts.
"Paris 2024 will be unique. The idea to introduce a mass marathon participation of over 20,000 people and the hosting of the opening and closing ceremony of the games on the streets, will give the public an experience of a lifetime," Kipchoge said.
