Kipchoge is on Kenya’s team for Tokyo 2020 – Runner’s World (UK)

On Friday 31 January, Eliud Kipchoge was named as one of the runners in the Kenyan Olympic team. Kipchoge is currently the marathon world record holder, setting a time of 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon in September 2018. Last year, Kipchoge became the first man in the world to run a sub-2 marathon, with an unofficial time of 1:59:40. He won the marathon in the 2016 Rio Olympics, crossing the line in 2:08:44.

This year, Kipchoge is taking on Bekele at the London Marathon in April, but the Kenyan will also represent his country at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in August. He joins Amos Kipruto, who won bronze at the 2019 world championships and Lawrence Cherono, who has won the Boston and Chicago marathons.

In the women’s marathon, Brigid Kosgei will lead Kenya’s medal hopes. Kosgei will also be running the 2020 London Marathon in April, where she will be defending her title after setting a new women’s marathon record in the Chicago Marathon last October.

Ruth Chepngetich and Vivian Cheruiyot have also been selected for the Kenyan team. It has been announced Cheruiyot will be stepping up to the marathon distance, after winning gold in the 5,000m and silver in the 10,000m at the Rio Olympics.

The Olympic marathons will take place on 8 August and 9 August 2020 in Sapporo in Northern Japan. The International Olympic Committee decided late last year to move the races out of Tokyo, in fear of the Japanese capital’s summer heat.

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.