Advertise

Advertise

What is Eliud Kipchoge's secret to success?

Kenya's athlete Eliud Kipchoge (screen) gives a speech via a video live as he receives the Male Athlete of the Year award during the IAAF World Athletics Awards ceremony, on November 23, 2019, in Monaco. PHOTO | VALERY HACHE |
Consistency, self-discipline and hard work are the ingredients that made him retain the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year title, Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge said on Sunday.
The world marathon record holder, who tuned 35 on November 5, edged out four other contestants to retain the award during the World Athletics gala in Monaco on Saturday night.
Kipchoge, who was not at the gala but accepted the accolade in a telecast interview, won the London Marathon on April 28 in a course record of two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds.
It was Kipchoge’s fourth victory in London, having staged similar exploits in 2015 (2:04:42), 2016 (2:03:05) and 2018 (2:04:17).
However, what perhaps engrossed the world was when he made history as the first man to run a marathon under two honours, completing the “Ineos 1:59 Challenge” in 1:59:40.2 on October 12 in Vienna, Austria.
This was the second time Kipchoge, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games marathon champion, was attempting to run a marathon under two hours, having fallen short by 26 seconds during the Nike Breaking2 on May 6, 2017, in Monza, Italy.
“Consistency is the key in sport while self-discipline is the mother and father of not only sports but any other undertaking,” said Kipchoge. “Working hard is recognisable in the world of sports.”
The athlete said that breaking the two-hour barrier was the true inspiration to the generation, what with 500 million people having watched the race live in the duration of 1:59.40.
“One billion people had watched by the end of the day on October 12. It goes further to affirm that no human is limited. It was truly historic for me since I’m sure I’ve helped some people kick out the limitations in their mind to achieve what they had deemed impossible,” he said.
Kipchoge beat Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who had won the World Cross Country and World 10,000m titles this year, World 200m champion Noah Lyles (USA), World 400m hurdles champion Karsten Warholm (Norway) and World pole vault champion Sam Kendricks (USA).
The marathoner is the second Kenyan to win the award after World 800m record holder David Rudisha, who was the first to claim the accolade in 2010.
Library in his honour
Kipchoge had on Friday visited his Kapsisiywa village home in Nandi County, where he received a cheque of Sh100 million from President Kenyatta through Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha for a library in his honour at Kapsisiywa Secondary School.
He had asked the President to help build a library and school complex in his home village.
Back in Monaco, Kipchoge’s fellow marathon record holder and compatriot Brigid Kosgei, who was among five finalists, fell short of winning the women’s top award.
It’s the 400m hurdler Dalilah Muhammad from USA who won the Female Athlete of the Year Award pipping Kosgei, Jamaican Shelly Ann Fraser and Sifa Hassan of the Netherlands.
Muhammad broke the world record with 52.20 at the US Championships before improving her own world record to win the world 400m hurdles title in 52.16 in Doha. She went ahead to win the world 4x400m title with the USA team.
Kosgei won this year’s Chicago Marathon in a World Record time of 2:14:04 (mixed race) on October 13. Kosgei also won the London Marathon in 2:18:20.
Kosgei also ran a world-leading 1:05:28 for the half marathon at Bahrain Night Half Marathon, Manama, on March 15 and 1:04:28 on a downhill course in South Shields Great North Run, South Shields, England on September 8.
Coaching career
Kenyan-based Colm O’Connell from Ireland, who coaches Rudisha, won the Coaching Achievement award.
During a four-decade-plus coaching career, O’Connell, an Irish missionary who has lived in Iten since 1976, has coached 25 world champions and four Olympic gold medallists.

No comments

Translate