Thursday, September 21st, 2023 20:08 | By
World’s marathon record holder and double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has received a remarkable tribute ahead of the Berlin Marathon.
An exceptional piece of street art was unveiled at the Berlin Braves running club’s clubhouse, located at Wassertorstrasse 11 in the heart of Berlin.
Eliud Kipchoge full stride
The artwork features the iconic figure of Kipchoge in full stride, marking his much-anticipated return to the German capital for the BMW Berlin Marathon scheduled for Sunday, September 24.
This captivating piece of street art is the result of a collaborative effort between Dutch artist collective Kamp Seedorf and Kipchoge’s professional running group, the NN Running Team, along with the team’s management, Global Sports Communication.
The BMW Berlin Marathon is a part of the renowned Abbott World Marathon Majors series, and Kipchoge is currently tied at four titles with Ethiopia’s marathon legend, Haile Gebrselassie.
Gebrselassie had dominated the Berlin Marathon with four consecutive victories between 2006 and 2009. Kipchoge’s Berlin marathon triumphs occurred in 2015, 2017, 2018, and most recently in 2022, during which he also set a world record.
These streets are special… 👀#Back2TheStreets pic.twitter.com/K1yAXXC2KD— NN Running Team (@NNRunningTeam) September 20, 2023
His remarkable performance in 2022 saw him break his own world record by shaving off 30 seconds, finishing the classic distance in an unprecedented time of 2:01:09.
Kamp Seedorf shared their sentiments about this creative endeavour.
“Berlin has always been a very inspiring city for us, and our love for the city combined with our love for running and the brilliant Eliud Kipchoge make this a fantastic collaboration for us. Running is an accessible sport for everyone, and producing a piece of Eliud Kipchoge has been a real honor for us. The line of merchandise with the different athletes makes it even more special. We run the streets like marathoners!” he said.
After winning world gold in the 5000m in 2003, Kipchoge pursued Olympic glory.
Eliud Kipchoge’s run
He secured a bronze in the 5000m in Athens 2004 and narrowly missed gold in Beijing 2008. The elusive Olympic gold pushed him to switch to the marathon after missing out on the London 2012 track team.
In 2016, just before his marathon debut at the Olympics, Kipchoge won the London Marathon for the second year in a row, setting a course record. Finally, at Rio 2016, he fulfilled his Olympic dream with a marathon gold.
Kipchoge’s journey includes unofficially completing a marathon in under two hours during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in 2019.
He returned to London aiming for a fifth title but faced his first marathon loss in seven years. His redemption came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he secured back-to-back Olympic marathon titles.