How many Olympic medals has Eliud Kipchoge won? Exploring the exploits of the Tokyo 2020 gold medalist

Eliud Kipchoge has secured four Olympic medals so far in his illustrious career. He clinched two Olympic gold medals in the marathon and a silver and bronze medal in the 5000m event.

The Kenyan athlete's first Olympic medal came in the 5000m event at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He clocked a decent time of 13:15.10 to grab a bronze medal after following Hicham El Guerrouj's 13:14.39 and Kenenisa Bekele's 13:14.59.

Four years later at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kipchoge again followed Bekele to secure a silver medal with 13:02.80, while the former athlete posted 12:57.82. His first Olympic gold medal was achieved in 2016 in the marathon. The long-distance runner posted a whopping time of 2:08:44 to defeat Feyisa Lilesa and Galen Rupp, who registered 2:09:54 and 2:10:05, respectively.

At the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he successfully defended the title in the marathon with a huge lead of 1 minute and 20 seconds to Netherlands's Abdi Nageeye. While Kipchoge recorded 2:08:38, Nageeye posted 2:09:58. They were followed by Bashir Abdi with 2:10:00.

Kipchoge became only the third person to defend an Olympic marathon title after Abebe Bikila in the 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo, and Waldemar Cierpinski in the 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow Games.

After cementing his legacy with his prestigious career, the Kenyan runner will be seen contending at the 2024 Paris Olympics to secure his fifth Olympic and third consecutive Olympic gold medal. If he succeeds in defending his title in Paris, he will become the first person to do so.

"Inspiration is what we need" - Eliud Kipchoge opens up on what keeps him pursuing his goals

Eliud Kipchoge at the 2023 BMW Berlin-Marathon in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Getty Images)

After securing 11 World Major marathon titles, Eliud Kipchoge is still pursuing the greatest feats that can be achieved in the sport. Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, which could be the last appearance of the 39-year-old athlete at the Games, he opened up on what motivates him to compete.

In an interview with GQ, Kipchoge stated that becoming an inspiration and motivating others hold more significance than how well is the current performance.

“Even if you leave the sports arena when you are not performing the way you have been performing, inspiration is what we need. If you can still inspire a woman or a kid somewhere in Saudi Arabia or in Jamaica or in Haiti or in America or somewhere in Maldives, that's what you want," Eliud Kipchoge said.

"Or somebody can still follow you from India or from China, from Japan, from a small country somewhere? That's what we need. It's about, actually: are you inspiring?”

The marathon event at the 2024 Paris Olympics is scheduled for August 10.