Eliud Kipchoge will hitting the London Marathon road on the back of a disappointing Paris Olympic performance. Will the GOAT redeem himself after a five-year absence?
Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge is set to race in the London marathon for the first time in five years. His last participation in 2020 remains a bitter pill to swallow having missed the last four editions of the annual race. Kipchoge has won the London Marathon on four occasions.
Pulse Sports takes a look at his previous wins and what is at stake for the 40-year-old who returns to the capital on the back of a disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics.
Eliud Kipchoge won a thrilling battle with compatriot Wilson Kipsang over the final kilometres of the 2015 London Marathon but prevailed by five seconds in 2:04:42. Kipchoge started to edge away from the two-time London winner Kipsang with two kilometres to go before kicking again over the final 800 metres. He had built up a big enough lead to allow him to celebrate as he came down.
(function (v, d, o, ai) { ai = d.createElement(‘script’); ai.defer = true; ai.async = true; ai.src = v.location.protocol + o; d.head.appendChild(ai); })(window, document,
watching’- Eliud Kipchoge cagey as he refuses to admit whether London Marathon will be his last
‘Keep watching’- Eliud Kipchoge cagey as he refuses to admit whether London Marathon will be his last
Kipchoge made it back-to-back wins by capturing the title in 2016. He finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 5 seconds – just off the world record mark of 2:02:57 set by Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014. However, he did not compete in 2017.
On the hottest day in London Marathon history, April 22, 2018, it took Eliud Kipchoge 24 hard miles to neutralise a field laced with venom. He glided home in 2:04:17 – a staggering feat on a day where temperatures topped 24C, a race record by two degrees.
In 2019, Kipchoge smashed his own course record in a time of two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds. His last appearance came in the elite-only London Marathon during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, where an ear infection impacted his performance, forcing him to finish eighth.
Olympic champion Sifan Hassan reveals why London marathon holds a special place in her heart as she eyes Ruth Chepngetich’s record
Olympic champion Sifan Hassan reveals why London marathon holds a special place in her heart as she eyes Ruth Chepngetich’s record
Having given the last four editions a wide berth, all eyes will be on Eliud Kichoge again. His Paris Olympics performance drew criticism. Kipchoge explained a back injury forced him to drop out of the Olympic marathon at Paris 2024 in the first ‘DNF’ of his marathon career. The Kenyan was dropped in the first half of the race, but pushed on to the 31km before stepping off the course with further physical pain in his waist.
An elite field has already been confirmed with Olympic champion Tamirat Tola highlighting the list. Kipchoge will also have to starve off stiff competition from defending champion Alexander Mutiso. To compound the rich list, is the inclusion of world half marathon champion Sabastian Sawe, who ran 2:02:05 in Valencia last month on his debut at the distance.
Kipchoge has a lot to prove that he is not finished at the highest level of marathon running. He comes with experience and mastery of the course that his rivals lack. Speculation has it that this could be Kipchoge’s last marathon before he ventures into other things. The urge to remain a marathon GOAT will be a factor in Kipchoge’s mind but will he silence his critics?
Leave a Reply