‘Greatest to Ever Do It’ - Siya Kolisi Starstruck by Eliud Kipchoge as Marathon GOAT Misses Ksh4.5m in Cape Town

South Africa’s rugby great Siya Kolisi has paid glowing tribute to Eliud Kipchoge after meeting the marathon legend in Cape Town on Sunday.

Kipchoge ran his first marathon on African soil when he featured in the Cape Town Marathon, finishing 16th in 2:13:29, in a race won by Ethiopian Ethiopia's Mohamed Esa in a new course record time of 2:04:55.

His compatriot, Yihunilign Adane, finished a close second in 2:04:59, while Kenya's Kalipus Lomwai rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 2:05:06.

Kipchoge has won it all and was not in Cape Town to chase wins or records but the race was the first of his “Eliud’s Running World” tour which will see him run seven marathons across different continents to inspire healthier living and unite people through running.

Kolisi, a two-time World Cup winner with the Springboks, met Kipchoge at the starting line as was left in awe of the double Olympics champion, who has also previously broken the world marathon record twice.

“I was starstruck. I’m honoured. It’s good to see him and watch him race in Africa as well. I think that’s really special. So hopefully this event becomes so successful that it turns into one of the world majors,” Kolisi told SportPesa News.

“But just to have him here, that’s what we want. We want to be able to celebrate our own, so we want our own race in Africa too.”

Just like Kipchoge, Kolisi is also drumming up support for Cape Town to join the World Marathon Majors to be put on the same pedestal as London, Tokyo, Berlin, Boston, New York, Chicago and Sydney marathons.

The two legends have set up a meeting on Monday where they hope for a joint push towards Cape Town achieving this status.

“I’m actually meeting with him soon, so I’m really excited for that. We’re meeting tomorrow. Everybody is so excited to have him here,” added Kolisi.

“We’re honoured, man. He’s the greatest to ever do it. It’s a big day for Africa. Hopefully everything goes well and becomes successful so we can have a world stage where people from all over the world can come and see how special our continent is.”

On Sunday, 41-year-old Kipchoge started well but dropped off from the leading pack and went at his pace until he crossed the finish line in 16th place.

That saw him miss out on a share of the prize money with Cape Town Marathon paying the top 10 finishers, starting with $35,000 (Ksh4.5 million) for first place, $15,000 (Ksh1.9 million) for second while third place attracted $10,000 (Ksh1.3 million).

Kipchoge is, however, assured a tidy sum in appearance fees from the race organisers.