With Paris Games in his sights, two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge set for Tokyo Marathon in March 2024
The 39-year-old Kenyan owns the course record in Tokyo, and says the race will offer 'the perfect preparation' for the coming Olympic Summer Games. Sifan Hassan is set to run Tokyo, too.
Athletics
The Tokyo Marathon in March will be "the perfect preparation" for the coming Olympic Summer Games Paris 2024, says two-time and reigning Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge.
Tokyo officials confirmed Kipchoge's participation in the 3 March 2024 men's race on Thursday (21 December), also revealing that Dutch long-distance star Sifan Hassan is set to compete in the women's elite event.
Kenya's Kipchoge is aiming to become the first marathoner - male or female - to win back-to-back-to-back Olympic titles, when the next Games take place in Paris.
"I feel good working towards my next race in Tokyo," Kipchoge said via a press release. "For me, it is the perfect preparation towards my aim to win my third consecutive Olympic title next summer in Paris.
He continued: "I have good memories in Tokyo; I won my Olympic gold medal there and I [also] ran the course record in the Tokyo marathon."
Kipchoge won Tokyo in 2022, setting that record with a time of 2:02:40.
Tokyo is part of the top tier World Marathon Majors circuit, and will likely be the final 42.195km (26.2 mile) race ahead of the Olympics for both Kipchoge and Hassan.
Tokyo Marathon 2024: Kipchoge, Hassan set to race
The full list of elite athletes set to race in Tokyo will be released in late January, organisers said.
Hassan claimed double gold at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, winning both the 5000m and 10,000m on the athletics track, and in 2023 made her marathon debut with a smashing performance at London, winning the Marathon Major.
“I feel Tokyo is the perfect preparation towards Paris, because I have great Olympic memories in the city of Tokyo and I feel I can fuel my Olympic fire there,” said Hassan, 30.
She continued: “In the streets of Tokyo, I will be looking to continue my marathon journey. I want to learn from every marathon, since every marathon is different and I can’t wait to come to Tokyo.”
Kipchoge suffered just a third-ever loss at a marathon at Boston earlier this year, but bounced back with a win at Berlin, becoming the first man to win that title five times (2015, 17, 18, 22 and 2023).