Kenya’s athletics icon Kipchoge deserves better honour
Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge on Sunday, once again, proved he is way above the rest in long-distance running.
Competing in Tokyo, the 37-year-old decimated a respectable pack of worthy competitors that included Ethiopian Shura Kitata, the only athlete to have denied Kipchoge honour the last five years. That was during the 2020 London marathon when Kitata won the race in difficult running conditions. Kipchoge, who crossed the line eighth, later said he ran with intense pain in one of his legs.
Since then, however, he has restored respect and honour to his name even though that slight slip was never going to have any significant blot on his stellar running career. Nevertheless, he successfully defended the Olympics title in Japan last year, joining an elite group of runners to have achieved the feat. He first won it in Rio, in 2016.
On Sunday he was back in Japan for the annual Tokyo marathon where he, once again, stamped his authority in the 42km running without much ado. He finished a minute or so ahead of everyone else flashing a sign of victory, as he crossed the finishing tape, which has become so common in marathon racing the last few years that many people might not realise how outlandish his achievements truly are.
He set a record of the fastest ever men’s marathon time in Japan (2.02.40) and he did so despite earlier missing the track which cost him some seconds as he got back on the trail.
For those who have only heard or read about the exploits of heroes of yesteryears—his namesake Kipchoge Keino, Naftali Temu and others—it’s quite an honour to see, appreciate the raw talent and hopefully pass the message of grit, hard work, humility possessed by this great Kenyan to the next generations.
For the uninitiated, he holds the marathon world record 2.01.39 he set in Berlin in 2018, he is the only man to ever run a marathon under 2 hours (1.59.40) which he did in a more controlled environment in Vienna in 2019; the superintending and the choreography around that race only denied him the official world record for the amazing achievement. He is also twice a winner of the Olympics marathon (2016, 2021), and many more.
It is quite unbelievable how he has maintained the top-level performance at an age many athletes are receding.
The great football striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, also 37, is still performing at the highest level but it is generally agreed he no longer possesses the same sharpness and suave dribbling he was known for before. It does not seem to be the case, however, for our Kipchoge who has announced he will defend his Olympics title in Paris in 2024. Kipchoge, just like a fine wine, seems to be getting better by age.
If he participates in Paris as he has promised and wins, he will be the first man to ever win three consecutive Olympics marathon titles.
In 50 years or so, people in this country might wonder why he was treated with little accolades despite his outstanding heroics. He is known to be a man that abhors opulence and showmanship but this should not stop the country from appropriately appreciating his talent.
For now, he has no monument to his name, for instance. He deserves much better than an EGH (Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya) tagged to his name or even an Sh100 million library President Uhuru Kenyatta promised him and which is coming up in his Kapsisiywa village in Nandi.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago had promised to name a road after Kipchoge in Eldoret but it seems it has remained just that, a promise.
Nandi is, however, building a sports complex to be named after him that is near completion.
Bigger things must, however, bear his name in recognition and appreciation of his achievements.
How about renaming the Eldoret International Airport after him? This way, anyone stepping into the airport would easily appreciate his talent but importantly, would know the world’s greatest marathoner is properly honoured back home.
The heroics he is displaying on the road will not be matched for many years to come. And for now, maybe even for many decades to come, none will deserve this honour more than him.
It’s time to properly pamper with more love this athlete from the homeland of the great Orkoiyot Koitalel Arap Samoei.
— The writer is Senior Political Writer, People Daily
