“He sits with Ronaldo as the GOATs”- Fans laud Eliud Kipchoge as Kenyan wins Berlin Marathon for fifth time
38-year-old long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge is currently a sensation among sports fans after the 2023 Berlin Marathon. The two-time Olympic gold medalist made history by winning the championship for the fifth time on Sunday. Moreover, the Kenyan runner’s victory is being considered a strong comeback after the 2023 Boston Marathon.
At the Berlin Marathon, Eliud Kipchoge stunned the world by surpassing legendary Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie in most wins at the championship. By running 42.195 kilometers within 2:02:42, he has become the only runner ever to win the Berlin title five times.
Although the Kenyan runner won the title, he could not succeed in breaking his own world record of 2:01:09 from last year. Second-placed Vincent Kipkemoi ran a total time of 2:03:13 and third-placed Tadese Takele ran within 2:03:24.
Previously, at the 2023 Boston Marathon, Kipchoge settled for a sixth-place finish with a total time of 2:09:23. It made observers question his running abilities, highlighting his age and form. However, the runner’s latest performance appears as a strong comeback in his athletic career.
Undoubtedly, his stunning run has taken the internet by storm. Fans have placed him among GOAT (Greatest of All Time) players like Cristiano Ronaldo. Take a look at these X (formerly known as Twitter) comments:
"Eliud Kipchoge has won the Berlin Marathon. He sits with Ronaldo as the GOATs."
Another fan wrote:
"You're not a human being. You're the definition of perseverance, discipline and smart but hard work. Congratulations!"
Here are more comments that call Kipchoge the GOAT:
Eliud Kipchoge strategically chose the Berlin Marathon to prepare for the Paris Olympics 2024
Before 2023, Eliud Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. The runner set world record timings twice in the German city in 2018 and 2022 with a time-frame of 2:01:39 and 2:01:09, respectively.
In an interview with Olympics.com, he mentioned about choosing Berlin ahead of Paris Olympics:
“I am a fan of Berlin, but this year I chose the Berlin Marathon specifically for the Olympic Games in Paris and I trust that Berlin is the right place to actually shake the muscles and to have enough time to prepare for Paris."
The Berlin Marathon has an equally flat course as Paris Olympics 2024. So, winning there would prepare Kipchoge well for next year.
Kipchoge won his first Olympic bronze medal in the 5000m race in 2004. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he advanced to achieve a silver medal in the same event. The athlete won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2016 and 2020 in the men's marathon.