Eliud Kipchoge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eliud Kipchoge

Kipchoge at the 2015 Berlin Marathon
Personal information
Born	(1984-11-05) 5 November 1984 (age 40) Kapsisiywa, Rift Valley Province, Kenya (today in Nandi County)
Height	1.70 m
Weight	52 kg
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Marathon, 5000 m
Team	NN Running Team
Coached by	Patrick Sang
Achievements and titles
World finals	2003 Paris 5000 m, 1 Gold 2005 Helsinki 5000 m, 4th 2007 Osaka 5000 m, 2 Silver 2009 Berlin 5000 m, 5th 2011 Daegu 5000 m, 7th
Olympic finals	2004 Athens 5000 m, 3 Bronze 2008 Beijing 5000 m, 2 Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Marathon, 1 Gold 2020 Tokyo Marathon, 1 Gold
Highest world ranking	1st (2023)
Personal best(s)	Marathon: 2:01:09 (Berlin 2022) Marathon: 1:59:40 * (Vienna 2019) 10,000 m: 26:49.02 (Hengelo 2007) 5000 m: 12:46.53 (Rome 2004) Mile: 3:50.40 (London 2004)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 1 1 World Championships 1 1 0 World Cross Country Championships 1 0 0 World Indoor Championships 0 0 1 Commonwealth Games 0 1 0 World Marathon Majors 11 1 0 Total 14 4 2 Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Marathon Gold 2020 Tokyo Marathon Silver 2008 Beijing 5000 m Bronze 2004 Athens 5000 m World Championships Gold 2003 Paris 5000 m Silver 2007 Osaka 5000 m World Indoor Championships Bronze 2006 Moscow 3000 m Commonwealth Games Silver 2010 Delhi 5000 m World Cross Country Championships Gold 2003 Lausanne Junior race World Marathon Majors Gold 2014 Chicago Marathon Gold 2015 Berlin Marathon Gold 2015 London Marathon Gold 2016 London Marathon Gold 2017 Berlin Marathon Gold 2018 London Marathon Gold 2018 Berlin Marathon Gold 2019 London Marathon Gold 2021 Tokyo Marathon Gold 2022 Berlin Marathon Gold 2023 Berlin Marathon Silver 2013 Berlin Marathon

Eliud Kipchoge (born 5 November 1984) is a famous Kenyan long-distance runner. He is best known for competing in the marathon race. He used to specialize in the 5000 metres race.

Kipchoge is an Olympic champion, winning gold medals in the marathon at both the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. He also held the world record for the marathon from 2018 to 2023. He has run some of the fastest marathons in history.

He won his first major world title in 2003. This was in the junior race at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. At just 18 years old, he became the senior 5000 m world champion at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. He later won an Olympic bronze medal in 2004 and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2012, he started focusing on road running. He quickly became successful in marathons. He won his first World Marathon Major race at the Chicago Marathon in 2014. He has won the London Marathon four times and the Berlin Marathon five times. Kipchoge has won 15 out of 18 marathons he has entered.

On 12 October 2019, Kipchoge made history in Vienna. He ran the marathon distance in 1:59:40.2. This made him the first person to run a marathon in under two hours. However, this special run did not count as a new world record. This is because it had special rules for pacing and support that are not allowed in regular races.

Kipchoge has received many awards for his amazing achievements. He was named the 2019 BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year. In 2023, he received the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.

About Eliud Kipchoge

Kipchoge was born on 5 November 1984. His hometown is Kapsisiywa, in Nandi County, Kenya. He finished school in 1999. Back then, he didn't run seriously as a job. He used to run about 3 kilometers (2 miles) to school every day.

Eliud was raised by his mother, who was a teacher. He is the youngest of four children. In 2001, when he was 16, he met his coach, Patrick Sang. Patrick Sang was a former Olympic medalist in the steeplechase event.

Kipchoge's wife and their three children live in Eldoret, Kenya. He lives and trains in Kaptagat, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Eldoret. He is a dedicated Catholic.

Eliud's Running Journey

Early Career and First Big Wins (2002–2008)

In 2002, Eliud won the Kenyan trials for the junior race at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He finished fifth in the race and helped Kenya win team gold. The next year, he won the junior race at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

He set a world junior record for the 5000 m race in 2003. He ran it in 12:52.61 minutes. Later that year, he won a gold medal in the 5000 m at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. He beat the famous runner Hicham El Guerrouj by a tiny bit.

In 2004, Kipchoge earned a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics in the 5000 m. In 2006, he won a bronze medal in the 3000 m indoor race at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He also won the San Silvestre Vallecana 10 km road race.

Kipchoge (third from the right) during the 5000 m heat at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. He won a silver medal in the final.

In 2007, he won a silver medal in the 5000 m at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won another silver medal in the 5000 m.

Transition to Marathons (2012–2014)

In 2012, Kipchoge started running longer distances. He ran his first half marathon in Lille, France. He finished third with a time of 59:25. This was one of the fastest half marathon debuts ever.

Wilson Kipsang (front) and Kipchoge (behind) running in the 2013 Berlin Marathon. Kipsang set a world record, and Kipchoge finished second.

In April 2013, he ran his first full marathon in Hamburg, Germany. He won the race and set a new course record of 2:05:30. Later that year, he finished second at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. The winner, Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, set a new world record in that race. In 2014, Kipchoge won the Rotterdam Marathon and the Chicago Marathon.

Olympic Gold and World Records (2015–2018)

Kipchoge races in the 2015 London Marathon.

Kipchoge won the 2015 London Marathon and the 2015 Berlin Marathon. In the Berlin race, his shoes had problems, but he still finished and won. In April 2016, he won the 2016 London Marathon again, setting a new course record.

At the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Kipchoge won the gold medal in the marathon. He finished in 2:08:44. He ran the second half of the race faster than the first, which is called a "negative split." This was a big win for Kenya.

In 2017, Kipchoge took part in the Nike Breaking2 project. This was an experimental run to try and finish a marathon in under two hours. He ran 2:00:25, which was very close to the goal. This run was not an official record because of the special conditions. Later that year, he won the 2017 Berlin Marathon.

Eliud Kipchoge (L) and his three pacers (R) about 30 minutes into the run en route to the marathon world record in 2018.

On 16 September 2018, Kipchoge won the 2018 Berlin Marathon and set a new world record! He ran 2:01:39, beating the old record by 1 minute and 18 seconds. This was the biggest improvement in a marathon world record since 1967. After this amazing year, he was named the IAAF World Athlete of the Year.

Sub-Two-Hour Challenge and More Wins (2019–2022)

In 2019, Kipchoge won the 2019 London Marathon for the fourth time. This set a new course record.

Later in 2019, he took on the Ineos 1:59 Challenge. On 12 October 2019, in Vienna, Austria, he ran the marathon distance in 1:59:40. This made him the first person ever to run a marathon in under two hours. Again, this was a special event with pacers and support, so it wasn't an official world record. However, it was a huge achievement!

In 2020, Kipchoge finished 8th at the 2020 London Marathon. This was his lowest finish in a marathon. But he bounced back in 2021. He won the NN Mission Marathon in the Netherlands.

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Kipchoge won another gold medal in the marathon. He became only the third person to win two Olympic marathon gold medals in a row. He won by a large margin of 80 seconds.

In 2022, Kipchoge announced he wanted to win all six World Marathon Majors. He won the 2021 Tokyo Marathon (which happened in March 2022).

Kipchoge (back center) about 14.5 km (9.0 mi) into the race, behind pacemakers.

Eliud at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.

On 25 September 2022, Kipchoge won the 2022 Berlin Marathon again. He broke his own world record by 30 seconds, finishing in 2:01:09! This was his fourth win in Berlin, matching another runner's record.

Recent Races (2023–Present)

In 2023, Kipchoge aimed to win the 2023 Boston Marathon. However, he had some trouble during the race and finished sixth. This was only his third loss in a marathon.

Later in 2023, he returned to the 2023 Berlin Marathon. He won the race for a record fifth time, finishing in 2:02:42. He is the first man in history to win the Berlin Marathon five times!

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kipchoge had to stop running during the marathon. This was the first time he didn't finish a marathon in his career. He later said he would not compete in another Olympic Games. He plans to focus on other ways to inspire people.

International Competitions

Representing  Kenya

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2002	World Cross Country Championships	Dublin, Ireland	5th	Junior race	23:39
			1st	Junior team	18 pts
2003	World Cross Country Championships	Lausanne, Switzerland	1st	Junior race	22:47
			1st	Junior team	15 pts
	World Championships	Paris, France	1st	5000 m	12:52.79 CR
2004	World Cross Country Championships	Brussels, Belgium	4th	Long race	36:34
			2nd	Team	30 pts
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	3rd	5000 m	13:15.10
2005	World Cross Country Championships	Saint-Étienne, France	5th	Long race	35:37
			2nd	Team	35 pts
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	4th	5000 m	13:33.04
2006	World Indoor Championships	Moscow, Russia	3rd	3000 m	7:42.58
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	2nd	5000 m	13:46.00
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	2nd	5000 m	13:02.80
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	5th	5000 m	13:18.95
2010	Commonwealth Games	New Delhi, India	2nd	5000 m	13:31.32
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	7th	5000 m	13:27.27
2012	World Half Marathon Championships	Kavarna, Bulgaria	6th	Half marathon	1:01:52
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	Marathon	2:08:44
2021	Olympic Games	Sapporo, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:08:38
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	DNF	Marathon	—

Marathon Race Results

^* Not eligible for record purposes. Kipchoge was the fastest runner out of three.
^** Not eligible for record purposes.

(*) Officially billed as the 2021 Tokyo Marathon, the race took place on 6 March 2022 after the 2021 edition was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence of this postponement, the 2022 Tokyo Marathon was cancelled.

(x) Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(p) Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal Best Times

All information taken from World Athletics profile.

Awards and Honors

• AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award – Men: 2015, 2016, 2017
• 2018 United Nations Kenya Person of the Year.
• 2018, 2019 IAAF Male athlete of the year award.
• 2019 BBC World Sport Star of the Year.
• Kipchoge was named one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2019.
• 2021 Association of National Olympic Committees Best Male Athlete Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
• 2021 Abebe Bikila Award.
• 2023 Princess of Asturias Award.
• 2023 Honorary Doctorate from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

See also

In Spanish: Eliud Kipchoge para niños

• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
• List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (men)
• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics (men)
• List of winners of the Chicago Marathon
• List of winners of the London Marathon
• List of winners of the Rotterdam Marathon