Kenyan legend Paul Tergat: Expect "fireworks" in the men’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Legendary distance runner Paul Tergat has been keeping an eye on the clock for years.

And the Kenyan is not about to shift his gaze, never mind it has been nearly 14 years since he last laced up his running shoes for a competition.

The first man to break the 2:05 barrier in the marathon feels the running world is on the cusp of another historic moment: Breaking the mythic two-hour barrier.

“I want to see many people running under two hours in the near future,” he told Olympics.com, adding that Kelvin Kiptum’s new world record of 2:00:35 proved that it is no longer about if it is possible, but when and who would be the first man to break that mark.

With Paris 2024 coming up, the five-time World Cross Country Champion is also excited about Kenya’s marathon team for the Olympics.

“We are looking forward to seeing fireworks…a 1-2-3 [sweep of medals for team Kenya].

Athletics Kenya is expected to name the provisional marathon squads by the end of 2023.

Paul Tergat: Kenya’s marathon dominance to continue at Paris 2024

Less than a year ahead of the Paris Games, Tergat understands the anxious wait for Olympic qualification.

Besides the two times he made Kenya’s track team to Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, he knew it would take something special to receive an invitation for his first Olympics as a marathoner.

The Olympic selection for Kenya’s top marathoners has always been uncertain as Athletics Kenya never uses the same standard eligibility guidelines. But being a marathon record holder has guaranteed runners a place on the track and field federation’s shortlist.

And that’s what Tergat achieved a decade ago. The two-time Olympic 10,000m silver medallist, who had ruled the tracks, made his mark at the 2003 Berlin Marathon. He held off a late charge from fellow Kenyan Sammy Korir to set a new mark of 2:04:55, breaking the world marathon record by 43 seconds.

That world record earned him a spot on Kenya’s marathon team for the Athens Olympics.

Athletics Kenya and Kenya’s NOC, which Tergat now heads, recently agreed on selection criteria that will give the nation the best possible preparation for the event. Previously, Kenya named its marathon teams in the Olympic year.

This year, Kenya’s provisional marathon teams will be named by the end of December and will be based on the World Athletics ranking and marathon performances from this season.

After smashing the world record in Chicago, Kiptum will be on the provisional team as will double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge.

Thrilling picks for Tergat.

“We are very excited,” he tells Olympics.com in an interview from Senegal where he served as an ambassador for the second edition of the Dakar en Jeux festival, as the country gears up to host the first Youth Olympics in Africa in 2026.

“Already we have Eliud Kipchoge and the young kid who is coming up now [Kelvin Kiptum]. Paris will be one of our best Olympic Games ever.”

Running in only his third marathon, Kiptum slashed 34 seconds off compatriot Kipchoge’s previous world record from Berlin last year to become the first man to run the marathon under two hours and one minute.

It was a run that Tergat believes “elevated” the marathon world.

Paul Tergat on who will break the two-hour barrier and hoping Faith Kipyegon will switch to the marathon

Tergat believes there is enough talent to beat what was once deemed physically impossible.

“I was the first man, almost 20 years ago, to run under 2:05, to break the 2:05 barrier. [Then] I said one thing, that it is possible for these records to come down, and it is still going to come down,” he said.

“There's so much technology now, unlike during our time, in terms of shoes and all that [which] is a good thing. It is also exciting when we see the sport is dynamic, it’s changing every day, it’s not stagnant where people easily lose hope. I want to see many people running under two hours in the near future.”

Tergat, a three-time world championship silver medallist, has also been keenly following the progression of another Kenyan track star, Faith Kipyegon, who broke three world records this season.

As she eyes a record third straight Olympic title in the 1500m, the 29-year-old plans to venture into marathon running.

The four-time world champ draws a lot of encouragement from the success of Hellen Obiri and Dutch star runner Sifan Hassan, who both started out as 1,500m runners.

Tergat feels that Kipyegon has the potential to become one of the greatest on the roads. She is coached by Patrick Sang, who is also training Kipchoge.

“Thinking alone in terms of mental preparation is huge because she is already thinking about a transition.

“Faith is going to be one of the [best] marathon runners in the near future. We saw it in 5,000m the way she broke the world record. I know it [will] be easy for her to transition to the long distance,” Tergat said.

“We will see Faith coming from 1,500 and having very good times in the marathon in the near future.”

Africa’s first Olympics is a source of inspiration

The 54-year-old Tergat knows too well the inspiration role models can provide at any stage of a running career.

During his time many Kenyan running careers were shaped by long walks and runs to school covering several kilometres. Unlike most of his countrymen, the Kenyan Air Force sergeant only took up running seriously after joining the military.

That was after meeting five-time world cross-country champion John Ngugi, Moses Tanui, the first athlete to run a half-marathon in less than an hour, and one of Kenya’s pioneer Olympic medallists, Kipchoge Keino.

“The first time for me to meet these greats, I couldn’t believe it. I was still young, and I wanted to know what made these people successful in what they were doing,” said Tergat.

“I thought these guys were not breathing like me. I would touch them just to see if they were like me, I started following what they were doing in terms of training and running all over the world because they were my role models. They made me to be who I am today.”

Nearly 15 years have passed since Tergat ended his career but the President of the Kenyan NOC continues to inspire people wherever he goes.

His trip to Senegal for the second edition of the Dakar en Jeux was another prime example of that. Tergat encouraged many youths, who participated in sports, musical and cultural activities, as part of the festival ahead of the Youth Olympics 2026.

“Senegal and Africa as a continent has such a huge potential in sport. The only thing which is lacking is tapping these young talents at the right time. Most of the young people are not able to understand or know that they have a certain [sporting] gift.

“And for the IOC to award [the Youth Olympic Games] to Senegal, it will enable them to expose a lot of talents and give hope to young people that, ‘if an event like the Olympic Games can come so close to us then we are destined for greatness in many things in life’.”

The IOC member believes the first Olympic event on the continent will be very popular.

“It is going to bring a lot of passion amongst the young people and leave a legacy. We want to make sure that within Africa, all countries qualify athletes in all disciplines and that they can be part of this. Being an Olympian is a key thing, especially when you start at the younger level.”