Kelvin Kiptum receives hero's welcome in Kenya after breaking men's world marathon record in Chicago
Kelvin Kiptum received a hero's welcome in Chepsamo Village, Elgeyo Marakwet county, Kenya, on his return home after breaking the men's marathon world record in Chicago.
On Sunday, October 8, Kiptum made waves in the Windy City when he broke the tape in two hours and 35 seconds, bettering two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge's time of 2:01:09 by more than 30 seconds.
A huge crowd greeted Kiptum at the Eldoret International Airport on Wednesday, where he got into a convoy of cars and made his way to the Elgeyo Marakwet county government offices. Fans lined the road on either side, eager to catch a glimpse of the 23-year-old.
At the Governor's office, Kiptum was met by county governor Wesley Rotich and Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei, with both of them congratulating and praising him for his achievement.
"As the county government of Elgeyo Marakwet, we are pleased to accord our son this reception. On behalf of the people of this county, I congratulate Kiptum and the family here for the job well done to fly the country's flag high in Chicago. We believe that this record will not be broken, unless Kiptum himself runs under two hours," Rotich said. (via mozzartsport)
"We have come here to welcome Kiptum back home because when he left here, everybody wished him well. I want to thank everyone who wished him well. On behalf of the Athletics Kenya fraternity, I want to congratulate him for bringing this record back home," Tuwei stated.
Kiptum was a man of few words, thanking everyone for the welcome and urging his fellow athletes to always put their best foot forward.
"I am so happy to be here, I am sure you are happy too. I just want to urge my fellow athletes to train hard and not to lie," he said in.a brief statement.
"I am looking forward to the marathon in Paris" - Kelvin Kiptum looking forward to 2024 Olympics
Despite breaking the marathon world record with a strong performance in Chicago, Kelvin Kiptum is not keeping his expectations too high. And he is certainly not targeting the two-hour mark just yet.
“I’ve got no plan to run under two hours but only to improve my own record,” he said on his return to Kenya. (via Reuters)
Kiptum's compatriot Eliud Kipchoge has previously broken the two-hour barrier when he clocked 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019. However, that was achieved with the aid of pacemakers in a project backed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos and was this not recognized by World Athletics.
With all athletes now shifting their focus to the Paris Olympics next year, Kiptum stated that he is looking forward to competing in the French capital alongside Kipchoge.
“Every athlete is happy to represent their country and I am looking forward to run in the marathon in Paris, I have not received a personal message from Eliud Kipchoge. But if I am selected to compete in the Paris Olympics, I am ready to race with him,” he said.
“My next target is to take a break, meet my management team and come back strong for the 2024 season,” he added.