Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has already put the 2024 Paris Olympics behind him, ready for the next challenge.
Kipchoge saw his quest to win three consecutive Olympics end with a did not finish after suffering a hip problem on the course. He won his specialities at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Speaking at the Star offices on Tuesday, the 39-year-old said he has dusted himself and is ready to return to big city marathons.
“I have risen, shaken off the dust and I am good to go on to the next task, which is participating in upcoming major city races,” Kipchoge said.
Kipchoge revealed Paris was his last Olympics and his worst career race.
In Paris, he dropped out just after the 30km mark. He admitted: “This is my worst marathon. I have never done a DNF (Did Not Finish). That’s life. I have won, I have come second, eighth, 10th, fifth—now I did not finish.”
However, he remains appreciative of the support he has received.
“To those seeing me as the biggest athlete, I appreciate them. Let us build this country together and make it a running Kenya,” he stated.
He delved into social media trolls and criticism, insisting he cannot control people's perceptions.
“I am trying to control myself on what I am consuming on the internet. They are at liberty to air what they think.”
On Sunday, Kipchoge was at Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium, where he watched the home side lose 3-0 to Liverpool in an English Premier League match.
“It was a great achievement to visit the academy, see how the players are performing and exchange knowledge. Athletics is one world while football is another,” he observed.
Meanwhile, he could not refrain from his advocacy for individuals to embrace a running culture.
“Any sport brings out good health. And health is wealth, which makes a healthy nation. Everybody should make running a lifestyle,” he said.
“Just start with running on the first day and on the second. Then the third day, you can walk. I run twice daily.”
And even though he has retired from the Olympics, he said: “You will see me in a different way, maybe giving people motivation. But I will not run.”
