Kipchoge statue marks 20-year anniversary with Nike

American athletic footwear and apparel corporation Nike has erected a statue and a track to honour former World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

The company which prides itself as the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, is celebrating a 20-year-old partnership with the two-time Olympic champion.

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“Twenty years ago, Nike and I became partners in running. Since 2003, Nike has played a crucial role in my career, providing inspiration and innovation. Together, we've brought these elements to every athlete in the world.

Monday was a special celebration as we unveiled the Eliud Kipchoge Track at the Nike European Headquarters in the Netherlands, while at the same time, Nike revealed a statue of me at the headquarters in Beaverton,” Kipchoge wrote on his socials.

Kipchoge claimed his first individual world championship title in 2003, the same year Nike signed him, by winning the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships and setting a world junior record over 5000 m on the track.

At the age of eighteen, he became the senior 5000m world champion at the 2003 World Championships with a championship record, then followed with an Olympic bronze for Kenya in 2004 and a bronze at the 2006 World Indoor Championships.

It is, however, his record outside the track that has made him one of the best athletes to ever grace the sport.

The 38-year-old was making his transition to road racing in 2013. Making his marathon debut in April 2013, he demonstrated a smooth transition to the longer distance by taking the Hamburg Marathon title with a run of 2:05:30 hours, beating the field by over two minutes, and setting a new course record.

In August 2013, he won the Half Marathon of Klagenfurt in 1:01:02 minutes. He raced in the 2013 Berlin Marathon and finished second in 2:04:05, the fifth-fastest time in history, in his second-ever marathon, behind Wilson Kipsang, who set a new marathon world record with 2:03:23.

Kipchoge went unbeaten in 10 marathons since the Berlin defeat. His first loss came in London 2020 when he finished 8th, his lowest career finish. His third career loss in the classic distance came in 2023 when he ran the slowest marathon time of his career to finish sixth in 2:09:23 at the Berlin Marathon.