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| Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge |
The veteran athlete failed to complete the marathon on Saturday, August 10 and received a warm welcome from fans at the airport. The 39-year-old struggled in Paris and registered a DNF (Did Not Finish) as Ethiopia bagged the title courtesy of Tamirat Tola. Eliud Kipchoge’s hunt for a third gold medal ended badly at the Paris Olympics. Kipchoge was aiming to bag a historic third gold medal in the marathon at the Olympics, but it was a performance to forget. He later hinted that the Paris Olympics could be his final race and he will not run at the 2028 Olympics. He dropped out at 30 kilometres and took a taxi to the finish line. “This is my worst marathon. I have never done a DNF (did not finish)…you will see me in a different way, maybe giving people motivation, but I will not run,” he said via Olympics.com. “I don’t know what next. I need to go back [home], sit down, try to figure my 21 years of running at high level. I need to evolve and feature in other things,” he added. His compatriot, Benson Kipruto finished second, while Alexander Munyao finished 21st, per World Athletics. Kipchoge gets warm welcome Photos shared by Team Kenya show Eliud Kipchoge arriving and getting mobbed by fans who scrambled to get a selfie. The marathoner was visibly in good spirits. here are some reactions. @Ca_flows: “There might never be another marathon runner like Kipchoge in terms of what he achieved up to this point. @EliudKipchoge GOAT.” @GeovinG: “Welcome home legend.” @ChadrickMuge: “Respect to the GOAT.” @kenyapara: “It will take ages before someone can match EK’s legacy. We treasure your contribution to sports. God bless.”
by Edwin Kiplagat