Eliud Kipchoge is undeniably a great marathoner, but it is how he announced his entry into the race 20 years ago that still baffles many.

At 18 years old, Kipchoge participated in the 2003 World Championships in France, and his rivals then were Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia’s great runner, and Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco.

Bekele, El Guerrouj spotlight

Before the Paris race on August 31, the spotlight was on Bekele and El Guerrouj for obvious reasons, but Kipchoge shocked the world when he defeated both and emerged the winner against the odds.

This event marked the birth of Kipchoge in the marathon world, as he stunned big guns that were looking for double golds in the World Championships.

Bekele had won his first 10,000-meter title seven days before, and El Guerrouj won the 1500-meter crown four days before their run against Kipchoge.

Bekele was tipped for gold as he had accomplished the senior men’s long and short race double at the 2002 and 2003 World Cross Country Championships. At 21, Bekele had also outsprinted Haile Gebrselassie in the 10,000m in the FBK Games in early 2003 before beating his feared compatriot at the same competition in the Paris championship.

On the other hand, El Guerrouj was fresh from completing his fourth successive world outdoor 1500m victory in Paris. The Moroccan is the world record holder at 1500m courtesy of 3:26.00 time, and the mile (3:43.13), records that still stand to date. These all but reveal how the odds were against Kipchoge, who was sandwiched between the long-distance greats.

Kipchoge did not only beat Bekele and El Gerrouj; John Kibowen, a two-time world cross-country short course champion, and Abraham Chebii, winner of the Grand Prix Final 3000m in Paris in 2002, were his rivals.

Kipchoge, however, finished the race in spectacular fashion as he timed 12:52:79, a championship record, while El Guerrouj finished second in 12:52.83, and Bekele, an apparent heir in the distance to Gebrselassie, finished third in  12:53.12.

Tactical race

Jos Hermens, Kipchoge’s manager, hailed the teenager and said he ran a tactical race.

“But we know that Eliud is very good and that he has a good kick. He ran a smart race tactically,” the Dutchman said.

“With 300 metres to go, I was thinking of a medal. When there were 70m left, I saw that Hicham was no longer going away. I decided to go, and now I am the world champion. I am very happy,” Kipchoge said then, as quoted by World Athletics.

After upsetting the duo, Kipchoge met with his rivals again at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, a year after the Paris duel, in what was a rematch for the 5000m race. El Guerrouj won gold, and Kipchoge finished third and claimed bronze.

Since then, Kipchoge has maintained his high level of presence in marathons and won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and in Sapporo in 2021.

He became the third man in history to win back-to-back Olympic titles at the distance: Abebe Bekele of Ethiopia in 1960 and 1964 and Waldemar Cierpinski from West Germany in 1976 and 1980 had achieved that feat before.