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World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge is best Olympics athlete

Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 00:00 | By
Kipchoge tips rising athletes on how to grow running career
World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge. PHOTO/Courtesy

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge was feted as the best male athlete of  the year by Association of National Olympic committees (ANOC) on Sunday night in Greece.

A breath-taking ANOC Awards 2021 ceremony took place at the Creta Maris Beach Resort, with the world coming together in celebration of some of the leading names in Olympic sport.

The athletes who shone at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games earlier this year were recognised for their inspiring performances. 

The best female and male athletes, as well as the best female and male teams from team sports were honoured, whilst an outstanding athlete performance was announced.

Speaking at the event after receiving the award, Kipchoge said winning a marathon twice at the Olympic games is not easy.

“When you win two you are making history as only three people have won it back-to-back.

I am happy to have done that in Tokyo and bring hope to the whole world after Covid-19 challenge,” said Kipchoge.

Kipchoge said he left track for marathon early to inspire the next generation to love sports.

“I enjoyed track and field for 10 years but it is good I made a huge transfer to road racing and made a huge mark and above all to inspire the next generation to love the sport and spread the word of possibility,” said the former 5,000m world champion.

Kipchoge made his marathon debut in April 2013 in what was a smooth transition by winning the Hamburg Marathon in new course record.

Most consistent

In 2019 during the Ineos 1.59 Challenge he successfully broke the two-hour mark for running the marathon in Vienna, Austria.

Kipchoge stands out among Kenya’s high-achieving long distance runners, having bagged medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games.

He is also one of the most consistent athletes in track running, having amassed huge exploits for close to a decade.

Kipchoge was asked to explain what a marathon is and  he simply said “marathon is life.”

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