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The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have come to an end and one of the lessons learnt remains that Kenya remains a power house in Marathon.
Kenyan’s Eliud Kipchoge who achieved legendary level in athletics in Tokyo proved that accomplishment could be achieved in an arithmetic progression.
The 36-year-old won the long-distance gold back-to-back after winning the Rio 2016 Olympic gold. For a journey he started in Athens 2004 Olympics, he won bronze before the Beijing 2008 Olympics where he moved to silver.
However, he could not make a third consecutive appearance at the London 2012 Olympics after finishing seventh-place in the Kenyan 5000 m trial race.
His return to the Rio 2016 Olympics to clinch his first gold despite failing to attend the immediate edition and winning another gold again in Tokyo Olympics clearly shows that Kenyans must be feared when it comes to long-distance.
Kipchoge’s feat at Tokyo makes him King of Marathon and also joins exclusive list of athletes who have been able to defend their title back-to-back. The Kenyan practically broke away on his own at the 31 kilometre mark, and never looked back to win the gold.
In the female category, Peres Jepchirchir who made her debut at Tokyo Olympics clinched a gold after showing earlier traces of becoming a gold medalist at World Championship.
The 27-year-old prior to making her debut at Tokyo Olympics won three consecutive gold medals at the IAAF World Marathon Championships.
In 2016 Cardiff she won individual and team gold medal before clinching another gold four years later at 2020 Gdynia.
Jepchirchir had to confirm her superiority at the biggest stage and the best way she expressed that was by winning a gold medal in Tokyo, to confirm that Kenyans are a force to reckon with in long-distance races.
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