Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri Make Kenya’s Final Marathon Team for 2024 Paris Olympics

Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri Make Kenya’s Final Marathon Team for 2024 Paris Olympics

Edwin Kiplagat
May 1, 2024 at 1:22 PM
  • Kenya has named their final marathon team for the 2024 Paris Olympics
  • Defending champions, Eliud Kipchoge and Peres Jepchirchir, headline the team
  • The East African nation are expected to defend their titles in Paris, France

Kenya has been named a star-studded marathon team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Defending champions Eliud Kipchoge and Peres Jepchirchir will be in France to defend their titles.

Kenya won gold in the men's and women's marathons in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 in Tokyo and will be hoping for a hat-trick in Paris.

Eliud Kipchoge, peres Jepchirchir, Benson Kipruto, Alex Mutiso Munyao, Hellen Obiri, Brigid Kosgei, kenya, 2024 Paris Olympics
Eliud Kipchoge and Peres Jepchirchir won gold in the marathon at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Photos by Lintao Zhang and Alex Davidson.
Source: Getty Images

Team Kenya will depend on the marathon team to deliver the gold medals in Paris. Kipchoge has been tipped to win his third straight gold medal.

The East African nation won four gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and will look to add to that tally in Paris.

Kenya's men's marathon team

The men's team is spearheaded by Kipchoge, the former world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medallist. The veteran has dominated the men's marathon in the last decade, winning at least 15 marathon majors, a record that will likely never be matched.

The 39-year-old has shown signs of decline in the last few years. After setting the world record (2:01:09) at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, he has lost two marathons (Boston & Tokyo).

He will be joined by Benson Kipruto, the 2024 Tokyo Marathon champion. Kipruto defeated Kipchoge in Tokyo in March.

Kipruto set his personal best (2:02:16) in Tokyo. The 33-year-old won the 2021 Boston Marathon and 2022 Chicago Marathon.

Alex Mutiso also makes the team following an impressive London Marathon victory last month. He clocked 2:04:01 to win ahead of veteran, Kenenisa Bekele. London was the first major Mutiso has won.

Eyebrows were raised when Mutiso was named to the provisional team, but he justified his inclusion by winning the London Marathon.

Kenya's women's marathon team

Kenya has put together a fearsome trio for the women's team. Hellen Obiri, an Olympic medalist, has made the team alongside defending champion, Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei.

Obiri switched from the track to the road, and things are looking great. Last year, she won the Boston and New York City Marathons. This year, she defended her Boston Marathon title.

Obiri's attempts to win a gold medal at the Olympics were not successful. She competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics but took home two silver medals. The 34-year-old won two world titles in the women's 5,000m.

Jepchirchir set a women's only world record (2:16:16) to win the 2024 London Marathon ahead of world record holder, Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa.

The 30-year-old also won gold in the half marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships.

Kosgei took silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics behind Jepchirchir and is a former world record (2:14:04) holder.

The Kenyans will face tough competition from longtime rivals Ethiopia. Can they defend their titles?

All stats courtesy of World Athletics.

Jepchirchir breaks marathon record

Sports Brief reported on Jepchirchir breaking the women's only world record at the 2024 London Marathon.

The Kenyan clocked 2 hours, 16 minutes, 16 seconds to win the race. The world record holder, Tigist Assefa, finished second, while Joyciline Jepkosgei finished third.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.