Kipchoge wants to 'make history' with a third Olympic gold
Friday October 20 2023
Kenyan marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge gestures as he arrives at his hotel in Oviedo, Spain on the eve of the 2023 Princess of Asturias award ceremony on October 19, 2023. PHOTO | AFP
Kenyan double Olympic gold marathon winner Eliud Kipchoge said Friday that he wants to "make history" by winning his third gold medal in the discipline at Paris 2024.
"I'll be the happiest person on earth to win an Olympic medal for the third time, back-to-back-to-back," he said at a press conference in Oviedo, Spain.
If Kipchoge takes gold in Paris, he will become the first athlete to win three Olympic marathon golds, following his successes at Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
Read: The G.O.A.T! Eliud Kipchoge retains Olympic marathon gold
The 38-year-old added that he was "not surprised" by compatriot Kelvin Kiptum breaking his world record with a time of two hours 35 seconds at the Chicago Marathon on October 8.
"Sport is about competition," he said. "I have shown them (the new generation) the way. I have broken the record two times."
On Friday, the Kenyan was presented with the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports in Oviedo, Spain.
Kipchoge will be looking to consolidate this status at the men's marathon in Paris on August 10 2024.