Kelvin Kiptum targets Olympic glory in Paris 2024 after smashing the marathon world record

The new fastest man in the world of marathon running, Kelvin Kiptum, jetted back home to Kenya to a grand reception and with lofty goals - becoming an Olympian at Paris 2024.

After smashing the world record during Sunday’s 2023 Chicago Marathon, with his new time of two hours and 25 seconds, the Kenyan’s ultimate aim now is a debut at the Olympics.

“For the Olympics, If I get a chance to, and I am selected, I will be happy to represent my country of course,” he told journalists on arrival in Nairobi following his record run. 

Kiptum slashed 34 seconds off double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record, from Berlin last year, to became the first man to run the marathon under two hours and one minute. He is also excited about the chance to race his fellow Kenyan, the man considered the greatest marathoner of all time.

“It will be exciting to meet Kipchoge, who has inspired many. I am ready to race against him.”

Running in only his third marathon, after winning in Valencia last December and topping April’s London marathon this year, he became the first man to record three sub 2:02, times in 12 months. That aligned with his race goals, which were to improve his personal best and course records, but he maintains the world record was never in his plans this season.

“It was my dream one day to have the world marathon world. I had planned for it in Chicago next year or even 2025. Fortunately, it just came in Chicago and it’s a dream come true.”

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Kiptum had indeed told Olympics.com prior to his race that he had no world record plans, but was confident he could run ‘2:00 or something like that.'

The Kenyan confirmed on arrival back in Africa that he isn't targeting the two-hour mark.

“My plans to go under 2:00... I have not yet thought of that. For now it's just to run faster than my PB.”

With his current PB being the world record, that would be another historic achievement.

On arrival in Nairobi on Tuesday (10 October), Kiptum was received by his wife Asenath Rotich and their two children, and other membrs of his family, as well as his coach Gervais Hakizimana, who previously preferred to work in the background.

The Rwandan coach told Daily Nation that he had known Kiptum since 2009 when he was a young boy and revealed that Kiptum nearly pulled out of Chicago due to ill health.

“He used to play around with me as he was herding their livestock when I came for my hill work training near their home. He would jokingly kick me and in the long run we started running together,” said Hakizimana, who represented Rwanda at the 2008 and 2009 World Half Marathon Championships.

“He suddenly fell sick two weeks ago, leaving his body weak. What worsened everything was the acute tonsillitis, which had made his neck swollen. I had to handle the situation and told him that he can’t fail to compete in Chicago.”

The coach also delved deeply into Kiptum’s training.

The new world record holder, who trains in his home village of Chepkorio, in Elgeyo Marakwet county, runs between 250 and 280km weekly.

The Rwandan said that Kiptum went over 300km per week for three consecutive weeks prior to the London Marathon, where he improved his personal best to 2:01:25, after racing to 2:01:52 in Valencia.