Eliud Kipchoge explains poor performance at Tokyo Marathon

Kenya's long-distance superstar Eliud Kipchoge has explained why he had a dismal performance at the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, 2024.

Kipchoge, the double Olympic champion, finished the race in 10th place, which was his lowest finish since he made his debut over two decades ago.

Benson Kipruto, Kipchoge's teammate on the Paris-bound team, finished first, with the legendary runner crossing the line over two and a half minutes behind the winner.

Although Kipchoge was not impressive on the Tokyo course, Kipruto won in a time of two hours, two minutes, and 16 seconds, with Kiplagat and Ng'etich completing the podium, a shining day for Kenya nonetheless.

As he headed to Tokyo, where he set the record in 2021, Kipchoge was hoping to shine, but that was not the case. He has now revealed why he performed poorly. 

"When I was in Tokyo, I had three days in which I did not sleep. It was my worst ever position," the Berlin Marathon history maker told the BBC.

Eyes on Paris

Now, Kipchoge's focus is on the Olympic marathon in Paris, which is scheduled for August 10, where, should he win, he will not only make history but also cement his place as a legendary runner in that discipline.

"It's about getting up and going straight again to your goal. I want to go into history books to be the first human being to win back-to-back-to-back," he added.

Going into the Paris Games, Kipchoge hopes to break history by surpassing Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia and Waldemar Cierpinski, the only other two men with two Olympic marathon titles.

Kipchoge is not a stranger to breaking records, as he holds the unofficial time of 1:59:40 registered in Vienna in 2019, marking the fastest marathon ever run.

However, he made history in the Berlin Marathon when he secured his fifth victory, securing himself five of the ten fastest all-time performances.