Kipchoge and Kiptum await Paris Olympics fate
Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge and sensation Kelvin Kiptum will not be waiting for long before knowing if they have been selected to represent Kenya at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Both Kipchoge and Kiptum have indicated their desire to feature at the Olympics and given their success, fans are salivating at the prospect of the two runners going toe-to-toe.
They will not wait longer as Athletics Kenya intends to name Kenya’s marathon team for the Paris Olympics within the next week so that they can start early preparations.
“We have already had discussions with the top athletes like Kipchoge, Kiptum, Peres Kipchirchir, and the others,” Athletics Kenya Executive member and chairman of Youth Development Barnaba Korir told Citizen TV on Monday.
“They have already shown the interest that they want to compete so we have enough athletes and already, within this week or next week, they will announce the team that will compete in the Paris Olympics next year.”
“Already, it has been established and the names will be released for those who will be going to compete and the substitutes if there is any problem so we are all set with that one,” added Korir, who is also Team Kenya’s deputy Chef de Mission for the Paris Games.
“It has to be done within this period before mid-December because we want to have proper preparations.”
Kipchoge and Kiptum’s participation at the Olympics has divided opinion among observers and pundits with some feeling that it might not be good for both of them to be included while others want a showdown between the duo.
Marathon legend Kipchoge had been the undisputed king over the distance before the emergence of Kiptum this year with the latter breaking the former’s world record when he ran an astonishing 2:00:35 in Chicago in October.
Fans even fanned the rivalry on social media when Kipchoge failed to publicly congratulate Kiptum for his exploits although he later acknowledged the 23-year-old’s emergence.
Kipchoge is seeking history in Paris where he could become the first man to win three straight Olympic golds in the marathon after his exploits in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 while Kiptum will be competing at his first games.
