Eliud Kipchoge is perhaps the greatest long distance runner of all time.
The Olympic gold medallist and world record holder has in the course of his career cemented his name as one of the all time greats in sports history.
A celebrated household name in Kenya, and an epitome of world success, he brought hope to the world on October 12, 2019 in Vienna Austria.
Whownskenya.com, profiles some of the things about Kipchoge, which are unknown to many.
Age
Kipchoge was born on November 5, 1984 in Kapsisiywa, Nandi County. As of June 2021, he is 36 years old.
Education
As a young boy, Kipchoge ran 3.2 kilometres to school on a daily basis. He attended Kaptei Secondary School.
He did not run seriously then.
Family, Mother and Siblings
Kipchoge is the youngest of four children. He was raised by a single mother, and only knew his father from the photos his mother showed him.
His mother was a teacher.
He lives in Eldoret with his wife and three children.
Trainer
In 2001, at the age of 16, Kipchoge met his current trainer Patrick Sang.
Sang is a former Olympic medalist in steeplechase. He too is a son of Kapsisiywa, Nandi County.
He won three silver medals in major 3,000 m steeplechase competitions; 1991 World Athletics Championships, 1992 Summer Olympics and 1993 World Athletics Championships.
First professional title
Kipchoge won his first individual world championship title in 2003 at the junior IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
He also won the 5000 metres race. He was only eighteen years old at the time.
Road Running
He transitioned to long distance running in 2012 and that year, he set a record for the second fastest debut at the Half marathon with a time of 59:25.
In 2013, he won the Hamburg marathon on his debut.
Major Marathon Win
Kipchoge won his first major world marathon in 2014 at the Chicago Marathon. He went on to win the championship series in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
He has also won the London Marathon a record 4 times. His only losses are a second place finish in 2013 and an 8th place finish in 2020.
Olympic Gold medal
Kipchoge won the marathon gold medal at the 2016 Olympic in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
First Person to run a marathon under 2 hours
On October 12 2019, he became the first person to run a marathon under two hours. Though the fete does not count towards a world record, he achieved a 1:59:40 at the INEOS 1:59 challenge.
The event was held in Vienna, Austria.
Guiness Book of Records
The INEOS 1:59 fete was recognised and documented by Guiness World Records with the titles ‘Fastest marathon distance (male)’ and ‘First marathon distance run under two hours.
World Records
Kipchoge is the Men’s marathon world record holder.
Awards
In 2018, Kipchoge was feted the Mens Track & Fields Athlete of the Year award.
In 2019, he was named the BBC World Sports Star of the Year.
In 2019, during the Jamhuri Day celebrations, he was awarded the Order of the Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH) by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Net worth
With most of his money earned from championship wins, endorsements and partnerships, Kipchoge has a reported net worth of Ksh300 million.
