Kiptum, Kipchoge put on alert as Kenenisa Bekele eyes 2024 Olympic Games marathon glory
Kenya's marathoners in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris Kelvin Kiptum and Eliud Kipchoge have been put on notice as Ethiopian superstar Kenenisa Bekele hopes to participate and win.
Bekele, who has been running for over two decades now, hopes that he will be part of the Ethiopian team at the Paris Games, and this, he admits, could be his last participation in a major.
Bekele's Olympic ambition
Kiptum, who recently shattered Kipchoge's marathon record on the Chicago course, is highly expected to be part of Kenya's contingent.
Bekele, a five-time Olympic medallist and with victories in both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games, remains committed and has been working hard to achieve his marathon goals.
“My mind tells me that I can still do better in the marathon… I have so many goals. The Olympics are in front of us. Maybe [Paris] will be my last Olympics," Bekele told Olympics.com.
The marathon superstar will take part in the Valencia Marathon on December 3, and the Ethiopian Athletics Federation will announce their team for the 2024 games at the end of the year.
“I never achieved my maximum effort in the marathon. I've been struggling for a long time with injuries. I train hard, but I have never finished all my training in a good way because of injury," Bekele, with 19 global titles on both the track and in cross-country events, added.
Bekele has been taking part in marathons for a decade since he made his debut. He has two wins in the Berlin Marathon already, and he hopes to add an Olympic medal before he probably retires.
Bekele's injuries
He switched to marathon after a persistent knee injury in his final track years and his debut marathon time of 2:05:04 in Paris in 2014. That record currently places him at the bottom of the list of the 100 fastest marathoners, but he was quicker than marathon greats such as Haile Gebrselassie, Paul Tergat, and the late Samuel Wanjiru did on their first attempt.
The ambitious Ethiopian, 41, has battled a number of injuries, including old Achilles pain, a back issue, calf, hips, and hamstrings.
“The injuries have moved from one place of the body to another. It has been a disaster.
“I've been struggling with injuries. Marathon training is really difficult. Every day you train, go for long runs... very hard, challenging training, and not to finish in a good way is hard," the 11-time World Cross Country champion concluded.
