Double Olympic Champion in the marathon Eliud Kipchoge felt back pain at 20km, he was seen touching his hip and eventually dropped out due to the pain extending to his waist.
The penultimate day of the Paris Olympic Games commenced with the men’s marathon where Kenya settled for bronze won by debutant Benson Kipruto. The Paris course was tough, hilly and altitude dropping in between. It was also hot, but Ethiopia Tami Tola braved the challenge to run away with the gold medal. Belgium’s Abdi Bashir was second.
Kipruto who is representing Kenya for the first time is pleased with his bronze medal saying he is inspired more to represent Kenya in the upcoming international competitions.
“The course was tough, it was hot. The hill at 28km was tough, downhill was too sharp. It wasn’t an easy bronze. I am happy for the bronze, my first Olympic experience, this bronze inspires me to upgrade to silver or gold, this was just the beginning,” Kipruto said.
“Wearing the Kenyan colors has challenged me to work harder so that I can wear it again and again. It made me happy. wearing the Kenyan colors was an honour,” Kipruto
The second-best performing Kenyan was Alexandra Munyao who came in the 21st also in his Olympic debut and first time representing Kenya in a championship.
Double Olympic Champion in the marathon Eliud Kipchoge felt back pain at 20km, he was seen touching his hip and eventually dropped out due to the pain extending to his waist. The greatest marathon runner of all time describes the race as his worst ever.
“Today was a tough day in my office, as always you can’t predict what will happen. You can be training for a very long time but it is like boxing, you can go to the boxing camp for like five months and be knocked out in two seconds. It is frustrating but all in all, life will continue.”
Eliud, double Olympic Champion, felt back pain at 20k and opted to jog out of the competition in his first DNF ever. The course he said was tough but it did not affect him.
"The pain around my waist made me stop. But my training went well. This is my worst marathon, in all my marathons I have never done a DNF, this is my first time. That is life, like a boxer I have been knocked down, I have won, I have become second, 8th, 10th now I have not finished,” he said.
But (Eliud Kipchoge) EK is inspired to use the DNF (Did Not Finish) to keep inspiring people to run.
“Sport is a different career whereby you fall down today but you wake up tomorrow. You know it is a different career whereby you have to have a thick skin. Every day is a learning day.