Kenya’s marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge has hinted at using Sunday’s Berlin Marathon to polish his act for the Paris 2024 Olympic games.
Kipchoge will be eyeing a historic fifth win at the 49th edition of the annual marathon race in Berlin, the fourth of six World Marathon
Majors events scheduled for 2023. He only came short of victory in the city once in 2013.
More than 45,000 runners from 150 countries are expected to take part in the event.
“I am a fan of Berlin, but this year I chose the Berlin Marathon specifically for the Olympic Games in Paris, and I trust that Berlin is the right place to shake the muscles and have enough time to prepare for Paris,” Kipchoge told the NN Running team in an interview.
“Berlin has always proved to be a great place for me. I have two world records and four victories.”
A win on Sunday will make him the only runner to have won the Berlin Marathon five times.
Kipchoge will be hoping to further lower the record he set during last year’s edition. Kipchoge smashed the world record twice in Berlin in 2018 and 2022 and another record will propel him to a historic feat as the greatest marathon runner ever.
“I’ve been working with the team, completing all of my training, and trusting the process. I am ready to return to my special place, Berlin, to face the challenge once more,” Kipchoge added.
He is expected to face a vicious challenge from compatriot Amos Kipruto, who bagged the 2022 London Marathon.
Kipchoge fizzled out to a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Boston Marathon in April, shattering his lofty dreams of scooping all six major marathons. He has, however, vowed to shake off the disappointment as he firmly trains his sights on another masterclass act.
“You cannot change the past, but you can change the present and prepare for the future,” he remarked.
He will be hoping to secure a ticket on the Kenyan plane to Paris that will be unveiled by Athletics Kenya before the end of the year. He is a two-time Olympic marathon winner, in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
