'Paris Games are the biggest challenge in my career' - Eliud Kipchoge

Marathon star Eliud Kipchoge believes that participating in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris will be his biggest challenge, even as he reiterated his quest for history over records.

As head-scratching as the former sounds, especially for a man who on a certain Saturday morning (12 October 2019) lined up in the city of Vienna, Austria in what turned out to be a landmark achievement as he became the first human in history to run a sub-two-hour marathon, there is more at stake in August for the former world-record holder.

Kipchoge, a nailed-on candidate to make the cut for the Kenya men’s marathon team, is aiming to become the first man to win three Olympic golds over the distance after wins in 2016 and 2020.

The only men to have won a similar number and who Kipchoge could separate himself from are: Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila and East Germany's Waldemar Cierpinski.

It is that prospect of recording yet another piece of history that Kipchoge is after, as he detailed his mood ahead of the race.

"Its my huge expectation to win the Olympics for the third time" - Eliud Kipchoge

“I feel good, excited, focused on training in these remaining months,” the former marathon record-holder told MARCA when asked about his preparations.

“The important thing for me is history, I run to make history,” he responded to a question whether he would be going for a world record time.

“No, I don't think about that, just about running,” he added.

Kipchoge’s personal best time over 42km stands at 2:01:09, and was only eclipsed last year by the late Kelvin Kiptum who ran a blistering 2:00:35 in Chicago last year.

Queried about the significance of this year’s marathon, Kipchoge, who admitted to Kenya having “a lot of talent in the world” to succeed him said: “The Paris Games are the biggest challenge of my career.

“Without a doubt, it is the biggest thing, they are the most crucial Games for me.”

Having deflected questions about his retirement before, the 39-year-old in response to a question about what he has in mind after athletics he said: “I have plans for the future, I want to travel the world to talk to the next generation about running.

“I have a Foundation that I will put all my efforts into in Kenya, in Africa, around the world after running.

“We want to build libraries in Kenya because I believe in education, in providing information, because information is what changes people, the country, the continent and thus the entire world. And in what we are.”

In the Parisian streets come August, a chance to inspire the world once more.

Eliud Kipchoge launches own foundation with focus on education and environment