I have followed Eliud Kipchoge’s career since he burst onto the scene at the turn of the millennium, competing in junior cross country championships. When he graduated to the senior level, he became a member of the 2003 Kenya team at the Paris World Championships. That’s where most people got to know about Kipchoge; as a teenager, against all odds, he conquered Kenenisa Bekele, Hicham El Guerrouj, and compatriot Abraham Chebii to win the gold medal for Kenya.
Kipchoge’s celebration was muted because attention turned to the overall performance of Team Kenya. As it turned out, Kipchoge’s gold was the only victory for Kenyan men in Paris—just one gold for a country known for middle and long-distance running.
After Paris, attention turned to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. By then, Kipchoge was a marked (young) man, going head-to-head with the invincibles he had conquered a year prior: El Guerrouj and Bekele.
This time, Kipchoge was humbled. The skill and experience of the two athletes proved too much for the young athlete, and he managed a bronze medal. It was another disastrous performance by Team Kenya.
Back in 2004, there wasn’t social media for people to vent, curse, and insult. That was left to opinion and letter to the editor pages on our dailies. I tell you, many people wrote damning pieces about Kipchoge, almost blaming him for Team Kenya’s dismal performance in Athens.
And that is the first time I learned Kipchoge was only good for the country when he is winning.
Kipchoge never really found his mark again. He couldn’t replicate the Paris performance. The gold he won in 2003 was the only victory he tasted in middle-distance running. For 13 years, he did not secure another gold. This changed when he switched to the marathon, winning gold in Rio in 2016.
Al Sharpton once said, “As you climb up the steep mountains of life, you will scar your knees and/or break your skin.” He further noted: “Don’t focus on the scars; focus on the journey.”
For Kipchoge, it has been a journey complete with all the scars and bruises. I don’t know how the man coped with the 2004 negativity for failing to beat two great runners. I can’t fathom what he is going through, reading commentaries from some people that he is selfish for failing to congratulate Kelvin Kiptum for breaking the marathon world record. Some even had the guts to connect him to Kiptum’s accident.
Suppose for a minute, Kipchoge did not congratulate Kiptum? Let’s also assume he did not get along with Kiptum…
If you follow sports, you would know there are sportsmen who play for the same team who don’t get along. They play the game, then go home. No conversation, no nothing.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had a complex relationship during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers. While they achieved great success together, winning three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002, their personal differences and egos led to tension and eventually a breakup.
As you know, Kobe Bryant died a few years ago following a helicopter crash. If Kobe were Kenyan, some people would have found a way to connect Shaquille to the crash! Because in our country, someone has to be behind something. Individuals are never responsible for anything.
Last year, Caroline Mutoko interviewed Eliud Kipchoge, and while their conversation touched on different areas, the one topic that stood out for me revolved around Kipchoge’s failure to finish top three in the London Marathon.
Asked about his greatest failure, Kipchoge said the following:
“My greatest failure is when I did not clinch a top-three finish in London. (He placed 8th, his lowest finish of his marathon career). I learned that there are days you will wake up very early in the morning, and it is not your day. I learned that missing the podium is not suicide.”
Ms. Mutoko further asked Kipchoge how he comes back from failure:
He said:
“I go back to the drawing board with my team. I forget what has happened and I start afresh, setting the goals and having the right systems on the ground.”
It was in Paris, that Kipchoge pronounced himself to the world. He could again, scream to the world in Paris this year in what will likely be his last Olympics. Still, in 2004, Kipchoge was humbled at the Olympics. In 2024, history could repeat itself.
All in all, it’s been one heck of a career for Kipchoge.
