•That performance saw him lower his own world record mark by 30 seconds and capture a fourth Berlin Marathon title, equaling Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie's number of victories achieved in the German capital.
Image: EMMANUEL SABUNI
World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has set his focus to win all six world marathon majors before hanging his spikes.
The double Olympic marathon champion said he wants to win all six world marathon titles since he will be celebrating his 20th year in his active running career.
Kipchoge was speaking in an interview after receiving his LG/ SJAK Sports Personality award for the Month of September.
“Everything and every day is a new challenge for me. I will keep on pushing because in this world there is nobody who reaches satisfaction and I want to challenge new heights," he said.
" I, therefore, believe all will be well as my target is to win all the six world marathon majors and get the six titles,” said Kipchoge.
The six marathon majors include Tokyo, Berlin, London, New York, Chicago and Boston. Kipchoge said the awards are a good motivation for all sportsmen and women in this country.
“I feel good and I am happy to be recognized as the sports person of the month. This is good motivation after doing a great job in Berlin and generally having had a great season that started in Tokyo 2020 Olympics,” he said.
He urged corporates to join hands in sponsoring and honouring the athletes and other sporting disciplines. “ I encourage all corporates to back sports because it is the only sector that brings people from all walks of life together," he noted.
With the cross-country season already in motion, Kipchoge called on the youth to use the event to grow in their careers.
He said the cross country is the best forum to test your capability before proceeding to the roads and later in marathons.
“You can't just start with the marathon and expect to have a successful career. It is a process and we have to build up gradually. It starts slowly with cross country and track before growing mentally for the roads. I have taken baby steps to the person I am today and next year I will be celebrating 20 years in my active running career,” he added.
Kipchoge was feted after setting a new world marathon record of 2:01:09 in Berlin.
That performance saw him lower his own world record mark by 30 seconds and capture a fourth Berlin Marathon title, equaling Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie's number of victories achieved in the German capital.
To honour this achievement, Kipchoge was awarded an LG refrigerator which doubles up as a top mount freezer and water dispenser worth Sh150,000 and a personalized trophy.
William Kimore, the content manager at LG East Africa, said Kipchoge was a living legend whose achievements over the years have inspired not only athletes but also the entire human race as well.
“We at LG are very proud to associate with the accomplishments of Eliud who has demonstrated that hard work and persistence pays with his record-breaking heroics. His mantra ‘No Human is Limited’ is a further inspiration to all of us that if we just push ourselves, we can achieve more than we have previously. We are thus happy today to award him this product as a token of appreciation and encourage him to continue pursuing his goals," he said.
To win the award, Kipchoge beat other nominees including track stars Beatrice Chebet (5000m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m) both of whom claimed Diamond League trophies in the 2022 season finale held in Zurich, Switzerland and Hellen Obiri who successfully defended her Great North Run title in the same month.
Other nominees included; Malkia Strikers opposite attacker Sharon Chepchumba who emerged top scorer for Kenya at the World Championships in the Netherlands, Karan Patel who won the ARC Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally in Kigali and former Hit Squad captain Nick Okoth who bagged silver at the African Championships in Maputo, Mozambique.