Eliud Kipchoge Gives Away Shoes, Hops in Van Mid-Race: Why World's Greatest Runner DNF the Marathon

(Photo : Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Eliud Kipchoge of Team Kenya, Gabriel Gerald Geay of Team Tanzania, Jie He and Shahoui Yang of Team People's Republic of China run past Eiffel Tower during the Men's Marathon during day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Esplanade Des Invalides on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France.

The greatest marathoner in history, Eliud Kipchoge made headlines for a reason other than his performance at the Paris Games. At 39 years of age, a two-time Olympic gold medallist dropped out of the marathon race at 30km in 1:39:38 but stopped shortly afterward. He decided to arrive at the finish line in an Olympic van.

During the early stages of the competition, Kipchoge was leading, but by half-time, he found himself one minute behind those in front. However, he was among ten athletes who failed to finish despite his efforts.

The world's greatest marathon runner stopped until last placed Ser-Od Bat-Ochir overtook him and then gave his shoes, socks, shirt and race number to thrilled fans lined up along the road. The crowd cheering marked what could be the final appearance of this star in marathons during the Olympics.

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Why Did He Withdraw from the Paris Game?

Kipchoge said that a back injury forced him to drop out of the Olympic marathon.

"I had a pain in my back at about 20km and decided not to finish and try to get out," he said, according to Independent. "The hills didn't affect me at all. The pain made me stop. I walked for 2km and had more than 300 people on either side of me walking with me. That's why I don't have my shirt, the socks, the shoes, the race number."

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