Eliud Kipchoge makes stance known on potential retirement talks after Paris 2024 Olympics

Eliud Kipchoge makes stance known on potential retirement talks after Paris 2024 Olympics

Mark Kinyanjui 08:34 - 13.04.2024

Many fans have been speculating that Kipchoge, 39, could retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he has revealed his stance on the situation.

Legendary Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge has addressed talks of potentially retiring after this year’s Olympic games.

Kipchoge did not get his season off to a good start after performing dismally at the Tokyo Marathon in March, leaving worried fans questioning whether he still has what it takes to win his third consecutive Olympic marathon title.

Amidst rumors that this year's Olympics might mark the end of his illustrious career spanning two decades, Kipchoge offered a thoughtful response.

 "If you can convince me that the moment I will be crossing the finishing line the whole world has become a running world then I will retire," Kipchoge told Reuters.

Regarding the possibility of competing in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, Kipchoge invoked a Kenyan proverb.

 "You know in Kenya we say you don't chase two rabbits at a time, you will miss all of them. You chase one. So the rabbit of the Olympic Games is what I'm chasing now. 

“After that, I go back to the drawing board, see what's in my bucket list, and start again to chase the next."

One notable absentee from Kenya's marathon team named last week is Kelvin Kiptum, who tragically lost his life in a motor vehicle accident in February.

Athletics Kenya named their marathon shortlist for Paris last week, including Kipchoge, Benson Kipruto and Timothy Kiplagat, and defending women's marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir alongside Birgid Kosgei and Hellen Obiri.

 Reflecting on the potential for new records in marathon running, Kipchoge remarked, "We have a lot of talented athletes ... first is to dare to think to break, secondly is to dare to do it. I have shown them the way."

Addressing his disappointing performance at the Tokyo Marathon, Kipchoge simply stated: "I think I just got tired ... I don't know what happened but it's life, it's sport, it's the beauty of sport."

As Kipchoge navigates the uncertainties of his future in competitive running, fans eagerly await his next move, whether it be a triumphant return to the Olympic podium or a graceful transition into retirement, secure in the knowledge that his legacy as one of the greatest marathoners of all time is already firmly cemented.

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