"That's life"

Double Olympic champion announces farewell

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will no longer be competing at the 2028 Games. "I will be in Los Angeles, but in a different capacity and not as a runner. I will be there to help encourage people in the city to run," said the Kenyan in an interview with "Sport Bild". The former world record holder will be 43 years old at the upcoming Games.

At the last Games in Paris, Kipchoge was left behind early on the difficult course and gave up with back pain. He compared this to a boxing match. "You train for six months for a fight, then you're in the ring and get knocked out after 30 seconds. That's life. I accepted the result for myself," said Kipchoge. He left it open as to when he will end his career as a competitive athlete. He wants to run fast for a while longer and inspire people.

Kipchoge is the record winner of the Berlin Marathon, which takes place this Sunday, with five victories. In 2019, he was the first person to run a marathon under two hours in Vienna; the 1:59:40 set under laboratory conditions did not count as a world record. This was set by the Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, who has since died in a traffic accident, in 2:00:35. Kipchoge expects the two-hour mark to be officially broken soon: "That moment is not that far away."