No man or woman has ever won 3 Olympic marathon golds, but will Kipchoge even get the chance to go for the 3-peat? Plus Tsige Duguma and Georgia Bell inspire young girls who are stagnating in the sport.
I don’t think he’s one of Kenya’s top three anymore, but it would be almost impossible to justify not sending the two time defending Olympic Champion. It would be like denying FSU from the CFP if they went 13-0 two seasons in a row.
Yes definitely as he's still on of Kenay's best 3.
Maybe - let's see what happens in Boston and London.
No - He's lost 2 of 3.
#1. My reasoning is first consider his entire body of work. 2nd not even giving him the chance for a 3 peat would leave what ifs....also Is there really 3 Kenyans that are consistently better than him over the last 18 months?. Honestly I think all Olympic and World champions should get a by into the next Worlds or Olympics even though 4 years is a long time between to give someone a bye
-Mutiso/Mateiko/Kamworor win London in sub 2:02:30
-Chebet wins Boston
I feel like Mutiso is the only guy who could get snubbed unless Chebets time is slow. Mateiko/Kamworor are Eliuds training partners so perhaps they’d figure something out. Benson Kipruto earned his spot IMO.
He’s 2x defending champion that may not be as sharp as he used to be, but is still close enough that he has a chance of winning if the race goes in his favor. He has to be included.
It makes sense to wait until after Boston and London to really get into this. But I’d certainly be inclined to, not just “because he’s a legend” like it’s throwing him a bone for lifetime achievement, but because I think he helps my country’s chances of winning gold. There have been so many Kenyans and Ethiopians who run a couple fast times and then go to the Olympics and DNF or finish 9th or something. Kipchoge on the other hand has already won 2 Olympic golds. Ironically the guy who’s been criticized for always time-trialing should now get the benefit of the doubt for being a Big Time championship racer.
Once could argue that winning Berlin was enough regardless of his legend status. But he also has major advantages over his teammates.
1) He is consistent. We got used to him winning every marathon like clockwork which is otherwise unheard of, but having a great race just 50% of the time in the marathon is still impressive at the elite level.
2) He thrives under pressure. How many young Kenyans have had promising starts to their careers only to repeatedly choke on the big stage? Kipchoge is far more likely than his teammates to produce an A+ performance.
3) He is a great teammate. The younger athletes look up to him and he will do everything he can to help them succeed. Olympic marathoning is a team sport.
In my opinion, he is still the favorite in Paris and this talk of keeping him off the team is borderline trolling. Yes, he is old. But I highly doubt that he went from world beater in September to also-ran in just a few months. He will be fine.
Personally, I don’t think I he’d get my vote if I were on a committee making this decision. Obviously his body of work is second to none. But it’s also obvious his more recent performances (last 12mo) inform us better about what he’ll do in the near future than what he was doing 2+ years ago. Since his WR, he is trending slower, with poorer results than ever before. His time is nearing its end. Kenya still has good depth to choose from. To me, EK either wins it all or gets 8th. It’s a gamble, and I feel it’s better not to play.
TBH, if Kiptum were still alive, I’d say it’s a certainty that EK wouldn’t make the team after his performance in tokyo. Kenya had their guy. Now that they don’t I can see why some want to go back to EK
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Clarification
Yes definitely as he's still on of Kenay's best 3.
Maybe - let's see what happens in Boston and London.
No - He's lost 2 of 3.
#1. My reasoning is first consider his entire body of work. 2nd not even giving him the chance for a 3 peat would leave what ifs....also Is there really 3 Kenyans that are consistently better than him over the last 18 months?. Honestly I think all Olympic and World champions should get a by into the next Worlds or Olympics even though 4 years is a long time between to give someone a bye
This captures my feelings exactly. It reminds me of the argument for Coe in 88, also looking for the 3 peat.
