Eliud Kipchoge 'not suprised' by Kelvin Kiptum's world record
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge smiles after crossing the finish line to win the men's race of the Berlin Marathon on September 24, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.
What you need to know:
- If Kipchoge takes gold in Paris, he will become the first athlete to win three Olympic marathon golds, following his successes at Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
Paris
Double Olympic marathon champion Eluid Kipchoge has said that he was "not surprised" by compatriot Kelvin Kiptum breaking his marathon world record.
"Sport is about competition," he said. "I have shown them (the new generation) the way. I have broken the record two times,” said Kipchoge, who spoke for the first time since Kiptum broke his world record with a new time of two hours 35 seconds at the Chicago Marathon on October 8.
The 38-year-old Kenyan spoke when he was presented with the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports in Oviedo, Spain.
The Princess of Asturias Awards formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014, are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals, entities or organisations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs.
Kiptum, 23, who was competing in marathon for the third time, crushed Kipchoge’s previous world record of 2:01:09 set in Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2022.
It was the first time a world record was being set in Chicago since Moroccan Khalid Khannouchi’s exploits of 2:05:42 on October 24, 1999.
Kipchoge made history as the first man to run a marathon under two hours and two minutes when he shattered compatriot Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2:02:57 set in 2014 in Berlin in a new time of 2:01:39 in 2018 at the same course.
Kipchoge would better it last year by 30 seconds before Kiptum became the first man to run a marathon under two hours and one minute, beating Kipchoge's time by 34 seconds.
Kiptum, who won the London Marathon in 2:01:25 in April this year, also breaking Kipchoge’s course record to become second fastest man in history, also became the sixth Kenyan to hold a marathon world record after Paul Tergat, Patrick Makau, Wilson Kipsang, Kimetto and Kipchoge.
Kiptum had run third fastest time in the marathon after Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:41) when winning in Valencia in a course record time of 2:01:53 on December 4 last year.
Kipchoge said that he wants to "make history" by winning his third gold medal in the discipline at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"I'll be the happiest person on earth to win an Olympic medal for the third time, back-to-back-to-back," he said at a press conference in Oviedo, Spain.
If Kipchoge takes gold in Paris, he will become the first athlete to win three Olympic marathon golds, following his successes at Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
Kipchoge is the second Kenyan to win a marathon at the Olympics after the late Samuel Wanjiru in 2008 Beijing.
