Eliud Kipchoge is an Olympic gold medalist, champion, and now officially the fastest marathoner
Photo from INEOS
On Oct. 13, Saturday, Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya made history by finishing the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) marathon with a jaw-dropping time of 1:59:40.
Dubbed the greatest marathon runner of all time, Kipchoge ran the fastest 26.2 miles ever to complete a sub-4:34 pace in front of a large audience in Vienna, Austria. This was the Olympian’s second attempt to break the two-hour barrier after he missed it by 26 seconds in 2017 in Italy.
The Kenyan completed 24 kilometers of the 42.2K with an average pace of 2:50 per kilometer. His fastest pace being 2:48 per kilometer, which paved the way for him to experience what he mentioned was the best moment of his life.
According to the athlete, this was the result of months of training and motivating himself to bounce back from his recent failed attempt.
Prior to this race, Kipchoge won gold at the 2016 Olympics and recently surpassed the world marathon record after he clocked in 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon. He also claimed his fourth London Marathon title last April and has now won 10 of his 11 marathons.
Eliud Kipchoge is an inspiration to the world
Kipchoge admitted that this race was one of the most pressure-filled competitions of his life. Before the race, he got calls from the Kenyan president himself and received thousands of messages rooting for his success. It was either going to be the most historic race of his life or another failed attempt to achieve a world record.
After months of hard work and determination to add a sub-two-hour marathon on his outstanding resume, the Olympian successfully crossed the finish line in Vienna’s Prater Park. This is sheer proof that anything is possible as long as you stay focused, determined, and motivated.
“I wanted to run under two hours and show human beings can do a good job and lead a good life. It shows the positivity of sport,” Kipchoge said. “I want to make the sport an interesting sport whereby all human beings can run and together we can make this world a beautiful world.”