By Debra Rono
The Kenyan marathon team, comprising both men and women, has arrived in Paris for the Olympic marathon competitions.
The team, led by two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, reached Paris on Tuesday morning, accompanied by Alexander Mutiso, Benson Rotich, Hellen Obiri, Peres Jepchirchir, and Sharon Lokedi.
The marathon events are scheduled for this weekend, with the men’s race taking place on Saturday, August 10, 2024, and the women’s race on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
Eliud Kipchoge is poised to make history at the Paris 2024 Summer Games by potentially becoming the first man to secure three Olympic marathon gold medals, competing against Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.
Kipchoge has expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming competition through his social media channels.
“I have been following the Olympic Games over the past few days with immense joy. It is inspiring to witness individuals from around the globe striving to deliver their best performances. The atmosphere in Paris appears remarkable. Only six days remain until the significant day, and I am eagerly anticipating it,” Kipchoge shared on his Instagram on Sunday.
Kipchoge first represented Kenya at the Athens 2004 Olympics in the 5000M event, where he earned a bronze medal. He then participated in the Beijing 2008 Summer Games in the same event, securing a silver medal.
Kipchoge did not qualify for the 5000M and 10,000m races at the London 2012 Olympics, leading him to transition to road running. He subsequently won his inaugural marathon in 2013 at the Hamburg Marathon.
Additionally, attention is focused on Peres Jepchirchir, the holder of the women-only marathon world record. Peres triumphed in the 2021 Olympic marathon in London, finishing with a time of 2:16:16, which improved the women-only world marathon record by 45 seconds, surpassing Mary Keitany’s seven-year-old record of 2:17:01.
Peres Jepchirchir is distinguished as the only athlete to have won the Olympic Marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon, and the Boston Marathon.
On Monday, Kenya secured its first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics when Beatrice Chebet, the two-time world cross-country champion, triumphed in the women’s 5000 meters, defeating Faith Kipyegon, who temporarily lost her silver medal due to a track infraction.
Kipyegon was initially disqualified from the event after being found guilty of obstructing Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay. However, the Kenyan team officials successfully appealed the decision, leading to the reinstatement of Kipyegon’s silver medal.
In the women’s 800 meters, reigning champion Mary Moraa finished third, earning a bronze medal on Monday night, trailing behind Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma.