The Kenyan could not achieve his great challenge of adding the third consecutive gold in marathon, but he said goodbye as a legend among the ovation of the public and the encouragement of the rivals.
The feat was enormous, given Eliud‘s seniority (39 years old) and the demanding course of this Olympic marathon, with ramps of up to 13% gradient. And the Kenyan suffered. It was in the early stages always in the lead group, but when the course reached the first slopes Kipchoge was losing positions.
At kilometer 31 Eliud decided to stop. He knew it was impossible to perform optimally in the city that saw him become world champion 21 years ago. But the greatness of the Kenyan, his respect for a distance that has made him a legend, led him to wait for the last runner to pass, amidst the cheers of the crowd.
As he was passed by Ser-Od Bat-Ochir of Mongolia, who subsequently crossed the finish line in 2.42:33, Eliud went to the fans, threw them his running shoes and retired.
“I stopped at km 30 and walked a couple of kilometers surrounded by people, gave them the running shoes, the bib, the T-shirt…. Everything but this (he was referring to the pants) because I couldn’t,” he said.