Kipchoge hands up Olympic shoes to mark retirement – The Kampala Report

Eliud Kipchoge did something unusual to give a fan his shoes at the Olympic Games after failing to finish the marathon for the first time in 20 competitions, a sign that he may have participated in the race for the last time.

Kipchoge, who is proud of 16 victories and holds the world record twice (at 2:01:39 and 2:01:09) and became the first human to complete 42 kilometers under two hours (1:59:40 during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge), surrendered with 11 kilometers remaining in Paris, France, yesterday.

Some fans have wanted Kipchoge, who will be 40 years old on November 5, to retire now. Many have praised Kipchoge, saying he will remain the G.O.A.T.

Kipchoge, who boasts 547,425 (X), 1 million (Facebook), and 3 million (Instagram) fans, received a fan award in the form of his Nike Alphafly 3 shoes, valued at approximately KSh38,700.

Kenyans also commemorated Kelvin Kiptum, who passed away in a road accident in March of this year.

“I’m sure if Kiptum was still alive, we would have won gold,” said one of the fans, Gerald Mwangi, an opinion that many Kenyans agreed with.

Benson Kipruto, the Tokyo Marathon champion, announced that he would run in honor of Kiptum, and Kenya won the bronze medal by finishing in 2:07:00.

The Ethiopian Tamirat Tola took the title with a new Olympic record of 2:06:26 after erasing the record of his compatriot Samuel Wanjiru (2:06:32), which had been strong since 2008.

Belgian Bashir Abdi, who won bronze in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021, won silver in 2:06:47.

After winning the London Marathon in April 2024, many expected Alexander Mutiso to compete for the title, but he disappointed by finishing in 21st place with 2:10:31.

Kipruto, 33, is the seventh man from Kenya to win a marathon medal at the Olympics after Douglas Wakiihuri (silver in 1988), Erick Wainaina (bronze in 1996 and silver in 2000), Wanjiru (gold in 2008), Abel Kirui (silver in 2012), Wilson Kipsang (bronze in 2012), and Eliud Kipchoge (gold in 2016 and 2020).

WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT KIPCHOGE’S SWEATBAND AT OLYMPIC 2024?

It’s a cooling device called the Omius Band, developed by Gustavo Cadena Schlam, a Mexican citizen. He started developing it while he was in university in 2013 before sending it to several triathletes to use at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, and later founded the company Tecnológico de Monterrey.

So, what is the technology behind it?

It’s a cooling pad. By using the principle of evaporation, it helps to dissipate heat.

The evaporation is performed through the cooling element.

It’s a “moisture-wicking” material coated with graphite that comes into contact with the skin. It causes the absorption and evaporation of water to help cool down.

This cooling pad has 20 pieces, increasing evaporation capacity by 5 times compared to normal.

The cooling pad will continue to work as long as it remains wet (it doesn’t cool at first; you have to wait until it gets wet) and will keep working until it dries. It can be cleaned and then reused without needing to be refrigerated