Veteran athletes back Kipchoge to shine at Paris Olympics after Tokyo marathon setback

By Luttah Njomo

Veteran athletes have thrown their weight behind Eliud Kipchoge despite his disappointing result in the Tokyo Marathon held on Sunday, March 3 the Kenyan legend finished in tenth position – his worst-ever ranking.

Addressing the media, the veteran athletes led by former world champion Janeth Jepkosgei appealed to Kenyans not to write off Kipchoge yet, noting that the 39-year-old was still instrumental in determining Kenya's performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics set to be held in Paris from 26 July to 11 August.

"We still have hopes for him (Kipchoge) at the Olympics. He is the one showing the way to young athletes," Jepkosgei stated.

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Abel Kirui, who had back-to-back wins in the World Championship marathon in 2009 and 2011, backed Kipchoge indicating that he had shown a fighting spirit despite falling back in the Tokyo Marathon.

While expressing optimism, he alluded to the 2023 Boston Marathon last April where Kipchoge finished sixth after clocking 2:09:23 and recovered well to win the Berlin Marathon five months later in a time of 2:02:42.

He also lauded young athletes including Benson Kipruto who won in a course-record 2:02:16 in the Tokyo Marathon ahead of countrymen Timothy Kiplagat (2:02:55) and Vincent Ngetich (2:04:18).

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At the same time, they condemned the negative comments directed at Kipchoge following the horrendous show in Tokyo.

What Kipchoge said after finishing 10th

The veteran athlete graciously accepted defeat describing it as one of his bad days in the office.

Kipchoge was returning to Tokyo since winning there in 2021 but he could not match the pace of his opponents in the race.

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However, he fell back and Benson Kipruto capitalized on the opportunity to enter into the history books.

“I can only say that sport is about good days and bad days. Unfortunately, today was a bad day for me. I want to congratulate all participants who reached the finish line, all pursuing their own goals and dreams,” Kipchoge posted on social media.

“Thank you, Tokyo, and to the fans around the world for all of your love and support! We take the lessons of today for the build-up of tomorrow.”

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