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The double Olympic marathon champion will have the chance to make history in Paris
Eliud Kipchoge has the opportunity to become the first marathon runner in history to win three Olympic gold medals, after being picked for the team by Athletics Kenya and the National Olympics Committee of Kenya.
The 39-year-old Kenyan, who became Olympic marathon champion at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, is currently tied on two golds with Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964) and Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980).
No athlete has ever claimed three Olympic titles over 26.2 miles and Kipchoge now has the chance to stand alone at Paris 2024.
“I always say the Olympic dream is a special dream,” Kipchoge said on his Instagram. “The Olympic Games is what we all dream of as little kids starting out with our sport and is what motivates us the most today.
“I am beyond proud to be selected for the Kenyan team for the fifth time in my life. After winning the marathon gold medal in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, my focus will now be on Paris!”
Eliud Kipchoge (Getty)
As well as two Olympic golds in the marathon, Kipchoge also boasts a couple of track medals. At his first Games – Athens 2004 – a 20-year-old Kipchoge finished behind Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele over 5000m.
Then, at Beijing 2008, the Kenyan finished behind Bekele again in the 5000m, this time claiming a silver medal.
A seventh-place finish in the Kenyan 5000m trial meant that Kipchoge failed to qualify for London 2012. He then of course switched to the marathon and the rest was history.
Kipchoge held the world marathon record on two different occasions, over a five year period. At the 2018 Berlin Marathon, he broke Dennis Kimetto’s best mark of 2:02:57 with a stunning 2:01:39. Four years later in the German capital, Kipchoge lowered his own time by 30 seconds to 2:01:09.
Eliud Kipchoge (Getty)
It took a masterful run from the late Kelvin Kiptum – a 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon – to dethrone Kipchoge at the top of the all-time list.
Between 2014 and 2019, Kipchoge won all 10 marathons he entered but the Kenyan has recently struggled to replicate that perfect form. The double Olympic champion won in Berlin last September but finished sixth at last year’s Boston Marathon and then placed tenth at this season’s Tokyo Marathon, the latter being his worst result over 26.2 miles.
Two domestic challengers Kipchoge will face in Paris will be Benson Kipruto and Alex Mutiso.
Kipruto is a triple major marathon winner, having claimed victory in Boston in 2021, Chicago in 2022 and in Tokyo this year. His win in Boston, a similar kind of gradient to the Paris Olympic course, could prove significant.
Alexander Mutiso Munyao (London Marathon Events)
Mutiso meanwhile won the recent London Marathon, pulling away from the now 41-year-old Bekele in the final stages in the British capital.
Like Kipchoge, Peres Jepchirchir will be aiming to retain her Olympic crown.
If the 30-year-old was to claim Olympic gold in Paris, she’d become the first female marathon runner in history to become Olympic marathon champion twice.
Jepchirchir beat three out of the four fastest women in history – Tigist Assefa, Ruth Chepng’etich and Brigid Kosgei – to win the recent London Marathon, backing up her sucesses in New York in 2021 and Boston in 2022.
Peres Jepchirchir, Brigid Kosgei, Molly Seidel (Getty)
Kosgei has herself been picked for the Kenyan Olympic team and as well as being the former world record-holder with 2:14:04, is also a five-time major marathon champion.
The favourite for gold however could end up being Hellen Obiri, who is a New York and double Boston Marathon winner. Obiri is also a double Olympic 5000m silver medallist and world champion.
The reserves on the Kenyan team are Timothy Kiplagat and Sharon Lokedi.
The men’s Olympic marathon will take place on August 10 and the women’s event will be a day later, closing the athletics action at the Games.
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