Eliud Kipchoge eyes historic fifth victory with highly anticipated return to Berlin Marathon in September
Kenya's double Olympic champion and world record holder is aiming to become the first athlete in history to win the Berlin Marathon five times.
Athletics
Double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has announced that he will run the Berlin Marathon on 24 September 2023.
The event holds a special place in Kipchoge's career: the 38-year-old athletics star shaved 30 seconds off his own world record at the 2022 edition, finishing the race in a time of 2:01:09.
If Kipchoge wins the event again, he will become the first athlete in history to win the Berlin Marathon five times. Currently he is tied at four titles with Ethiopia’s marathon great Haile Gebrselassie, who claimed the Berlin Marathon for four consecutive years between 2006 and 2009.
Kipchoge captured the Berlin marathon title in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022, also setting a world record in 2018 and 2022.
The Kenyan history-maker said in June that he was undecided about his next marathon after finishing a disappointing sixth at the Boston Marathon in April. Ultimately, Kipchoge opted for Berlin because it is the "perfect preparation" for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he chases his third Olympic title.
“On my road to the Paris Olympic Games, I like to go back to Berlin Marathon, since to me this is the perfect preparation," he told NN Running Team. "I have great memories there and I look forward to running the streets of Berlin again, together with the thousands of runners that will join.”
Kipchoge is expected to face a significant challenge in the German capital, particularly from his teammate Amos Kipruto, the winner of the London Marathon in 2022.
Notably, Kipchoge has only experienced one defeat at the Berlin Marathon, which occurred in 2013. It was his second marathon ever and he finished as the runner-up to fellow Kenyan Wilson Kipsang.