Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge, born on November 5, 1984, in Kapsisiywa, Kenya, is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in history. A former 5000m specialist who won a World Championship gold medal in 2003 at just 18 years old, he transitioned to the marathon in 2013 and quickly established himself as the dominant force in the event. Between 2014 and 2019, he won all 10 marathons he entered.\n\nKipchoge set the marathon world record twice in Berlin, first running 2:01:39 in 2018 and then lowering it to 2:01:09 in 2022. He won Olympic marathon gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, becoming only the third man to win the event twice. In October 2019, he became the first person to cover the marathon distance in under two hours, running 1:59:40 at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, though the time was not ratified as an official record due to the use of pacemakers and a rolling start.\n\nHis record includes 12 World Marathon Major victories across Berlin, London, Chicago, Tokyo, and Hamburg. After dropping out of the 2024 Paris Olympic marathon, he announced the end of his Olympic career but has continued to run select city marathons for charitable causes. He trains in Kaptagat, Kenya, under coach Patrick Sang.