Eliud Kipchoge goes down memory lane as he visits the Olympic stadium in Paris returning to the quadrennial games as the defending champion

Kenyan distance running icon Eliud Kipchoge felt nostalgic as he revisited old memories during his recent visit to the Olympic Stadium. The legendary athlete is currently preparing to defend his Olympic title, scheduled for July this year.

Kipchoge has already achieved some significant milestones in his career, including two Olympic golds, a silver, and a bronze during his four consecutive appearances at the Summer Games. He was the first marathon runner in history to finish a distance of 42.1km in under two hours (1:59:40), and he went on to achieve several such accolades later in his career.

During his visit to the Stade de France in Paris on Friday, the 39-year-old phenom refreshed his memories. This was the place where Eliud Kipchoge bagged his first senior gold medal in 2003, following his record-breaking performance at the French World Championship in the 5000-meter discipline.

Kipchoge took to his Instagram handle on Friday (May 17) and shared a series of pictures in which he was seen standing in the bleachers, looking through the stadium. He wrote:

"A few weeks ago I visited Stade de France in Paris, the Olympic stadium for @paris2024. This stadium holds great memories for me since I won my first senior title here back in 2003. Paris is preparing for the Olympic Games, so am I. 85 days until the Olympic Marathon."

The world champion endured hardships both personally and professionally after his name was dragged into fellow Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum's death. This ultimately affected his performance as well, as he could only manage to finish tenth at this year's Tokyo Marathon. Nonetheless, Eliud Kipchoge is gearing up to win his third consecutive Olympic title in July.

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Eliud Kipchoge to face arch-rival Kenenisa Bekele at the Paris Olympics 2024

2023 BMW Berlin-Marathon

Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele are considered two of the best distance runners in history, as Bekele has achieved benchmarks similar to his Kenyan counterpart. The 41-year-old runner is a three-time Olympic champion, and a five-time world champion, and has won a world indoor title as well.

Their track rivalry dates back to the time when Kipchoge won his first World Championship 5000m title in 2003, and it was Bekele who was chasing him and took the third spot on the podium. However, the following year at the Athens Olympics, the tables turned as Kipchoge finished third while Bekele took home the silver.

When the two again faced each other at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for a 5000m matchup, it was Kenenisa Bekele who took the top spot on the podium and claimed the gold, while Kipchoge finished second to win a silver.