Paris Games 2024 witnessed Eliud Kipchoge (39) of Kenya and Kenenisa Bekele (42) bidding farewell to the Olympic stage. Bekele finished a long way off, 39th, 6 minutes behind the day's winner, Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia. But he was determined to finish. Injured and ill, Kipchoge preferred to give up on the terrible hilly course between Paris and Versailles.
"Eliud and I have been racing against each other for 20 years. But there's a new generation and it's very tough".
"With Eliud, we've been racing against each other for twenty years," recounted the Ethiopian with his gentle smile. But there's a new generation and it's very hard. Even though it was a bad day for us today (Saturday), and even more so for Eliud, we're just happy to keep racing at this level. I was delighted to finally run an Olympic marathon. At least I had the chance to experience it. I felt a spike in my right hamstring between the 10th and 15th kilometres, even before the climb, it was painful, but I didn't want to give up."
Bekele and Kipchoge, final duel in Paris
Bekele, the god of 5,000 m and 10,000 m stadiums (3 Olympic titles, 5 world titles) and ploughshares (15 cross-country titles), has had a rollercoaster conversion to marathon racing. "I've been battling with injuries for ten years now, and I've never had 100% preparation. Otherwise, I'd have had the means to compete with the best. Above all, he will never digest his non-selection for the 2016 Olympics: "Paris was too late for me. I missed my chance, I was ready for Rio, and maybe even Tokyo. That's the way it is."
In his absence, Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan marathon king doubled up on gold in 2016 and 2021 and was hoping for a unique three-peat here to overtake Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila, gold in bare feet in 1960 in Rome, then in shoes in 1964 in Tokyo. It wasn't the race I'd come for," confessed the invincible, who recently discovered the disappointments (6th in Boston and 10th in Tokyo earlier this year). But sport is made up of ups and downs. I was in too much pain and had to stop. It's a difficult time for me. But congratulations to the guys up front.
Echoing this, Bekele and Kipchoge say they want to contest a few more races so as not to end up on this, but are no longer looking ahead to the Olympics. You'll see me in Los Angeles, but not racing," warns Kipchoge.I see myself more as an ambassador, a motivator from now on." We're going to have to find some new heroes.
(L'Équipe)