Marathon Great Eliud Kipchoge has been named the best male athlete of Tokyo 2020 at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Awards 2021 held in Greece for defending Olympic Games gold.
The 36-year-old showed the intent of proving once again why he is the world's greatest after the 30km-mark when he broke to take a comfortable lead. He clocked an impressive 2.08.38 to storm to victory to win Team Kenya's fourth gold medal in Tokyo, finishing ahead of Dutchman Abdi Negeeye and Belgian Bashir Abdi.
Kipchoge, the World Marathon Record Holder, wrote history in Tokyo in August by becoming only the third man to win back-to-back Olympics Marathon gold after Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila and Germany’s Waldemar Cierpinski.
In receiving the award at the ceremony that was attended by the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Kenya’s National Olympic Committee of Kenya boss Paul Tergat and Ag. Secretary General Francis Mutuku, Kipchoge described marathon means life to him.
“When you win two Olympic gold medals back-to-back, it's making history because only three people have done it, I’m happy to have done that in the year 2020 in the Tokyo Olympic Games,” Kipchoge said.
He added, “The Tokyo 2020 Games was the most important Olympics ever because it brought hope to the whole world after the Covid-19 crashed the whole world. I enjoyed track and field for 10 years and it is good I made a huge transfer to the road and made a huge mark and inspired the whole world to love the sport and spread positivity.” Kipchoge was awarded by the president of Association of National Olympics Committee of Africa Mustapha Berraf at the Open Air Theatre of the Creta Maris Beach Hotel, in Greece.
More to that, Kipchoge was nominated for thee awards alongside Karsten Warholm, Damian Warner, Miltiadis Tentoglou, Daniel Stahl, Pedro Pichardo, Ryan Crouser, Joshua Cheptegei, Mondo Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Kenyan athlete and reigning 1500m gold medalist, Faith Kipyegon, was nominated for the female world athlete of the year. However, Canadian swimmer and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Margaret MacNeil, was announced the best female athlete of Tokyo 2020.
Kipchoge's win comes exactly 10 days after he landed a new role. On October 14, Kipchoge noted that he has been appointed as Ambassador for Paris 2024 Olympics Games. This will see him have a go at defending his marathon title for the second time in a row.