Eliud Kipchoge, the man who recently made history by completing a marathon race in under two hours, could be a few hours to a state commendation.
The Olympic champion was, on Saturday morning, flown from Eldoret by the Kenya Forest Services aircraft to Mombasa where this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations will be held on Sunday, October 20.
Kipchoge’s journey to clock 1:59:40 in a 42km race in Austria was applauded by everyone in the world including the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyatta personally called the 34-year old athlete on phone before the historic race and congratulated him after successfully hitting the target otherwise dubbed INEOS 1:59 Challenge.
Deputy President William Ruto, who witnessed the race in Vienna, also saluted Kipchoge for his great achievement.
A blistering 1.59.40! Congratulations @EliudKipchoge for the historic achievement in shattering the sub-two-hour barrier for the marathon; you are arguably the greatest runner of all time. #NoHumanIsLimited #INEOS159 pic.twitter.com/2Pmjo1yjX2
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) October 12, 2019
Your supreme tempo, fatigue-resistance, endurance, compulsion, mental strength, resolve, and tenacity are a manifestation there are no limits when you believe in yourself; undoubtedly the landmark triumph cements Kenya’s position in the globe as an athletics powerhouse. #INEOS159 pic.twitter.com/aaPLKzjwtq
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) October 12, 2019
Supported and cheered @EliudKipchoge in the historical INEOS 1:59 challenge, Vienna, Austria. #INEOS159 #NoHumanIsLimited pic.twitter.com/YsAh8ElEuW
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) October 12, 2019
But there could be more for the Kenyan marathoner who became the first man on earth to ever run a marathon in under 2 hours, following his state-sponsored flight to Mombasa for Mashujaa Day. Who knows, the President might just dish out an HSC (Head of state Commendation) award.
Eliud Kipchoge jetted back to the country quietly on Wednesday, October 16 – a gesture which elicited debate among his fans and Kenyans at large. Some felt he deserved a heroic welcome.