Eliud Kipchoge

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge and two-time (5000m and 10,000m) Tokyo Olympic Champion will run the 17th edition of the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 3 2024.

Kipchoge holds the Tokyo Marathon record which he set in 2022 at 2:02:40.

The former world record holder has pleasant memories of competing in Tokyo. “I have good memories in Japan. I won my Olympic gold medal there and ran the course record in the Tokyo marathon. Last time, I was grateful for the organization to organize the event during such a difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic. My aim was to set the course record and it was great to achieve that. I feel good working towards my next race in Tokyo. For me, it is the perfect preparation towards my aim to win my third consecutive
Olympic title next summer in Paris.”

Tokyo will be Kipchoge’s 22nd marathon race, with 18 wins so far including 11 Major Marathons. He has twice broken the world record, both times in Berlin, and in 2019 became the first runner in history to break the two-hour barrier as part of the INEOS 1:59 project in Vienna,
running 1:59:40 in an unofficial race.

Sifan Hassan

Dutch athlete, a London and Chicago marathon winner, Sifan Hassan set to make Tokyo Marathon debut aiming to continue a record-breaking start to life over the distance.

She had a spectacular introduction to the marathon, beating what is widely regarded as the best female field ever assembled on debut in London in April, before setting the second-fastest time in history to take the Chicago title in 2:13:44 in October. That performance will leave the two-time World Champion on the track well placed for an assault on the 2:16:02 course record in Tokyo, held by Brigid Kosgei from 2022.

Hassan is eager to return to the city where she won 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic gold in 2021, saying, “I am so excited to announce my participation in my next marathon. I feel Tokyo is the perfect preparation for the Paris Olympic Games because I have great Olympic memories in the city of Tokyo and I feel I can fuel my Olympic fire there. In the streets of Tokyo, I will be looking to continue my marathon journey. I want to learn from every marathon since every marathon is different and I can’t wait to come to Tokyo.”

The World Marathon major course sees athletes start by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the west of the Japanese capital, taking in the city’s rich sights, before finishing by the iconic Imperial Palace in the centre of the metropolis.

Hassan has displayed incredible range this year, winning the World 1500m bronze in Budapest alongside 5000m silver, all whilst teaching her body to train over the longer distance. The European marathon record holder will have an enviable choice to make over what events to
choose in Paris, with the Olympic women’s marathon to take place on 11th August after a testing track schedule.

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