Kenya’s marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge was on Tuesday evening named the International Association of Athletics Federations’, IAAF, 2018 male World Athlete of the Year. Kipchoge had earlier expressed optimism that he was going to win the award. The IAAF wrote on its website: “Kipchoge underlined his status as the world’s most dominant distance runner.
He is THE MAN!!!!! Hongera, Eliud! #TheGreatest #IAAF
Eliud Kipchoge Is the Greatest Marathoner, Ever https://t.co/vl9Cr4voX5— Jeff Koinange, MBS (@KoinangeJeff) December 5, 2018
“The 34-year-old Kenyan won the London Marathon in April in 2:04:17 to finish comfortably ahead of one of the deepest marathon fields in history. “Five months later, he won the Berlin Marathon in 2:01:39 to smash the world record. His time in the German capital was 78 seconds faster than the previous world record, representing the biggest single improvement on a men’s marathon world record since 1967.”
On the part of the women’s Athlete of the Year, Columbian triple jumper, Caterine Ibarguen was named winner for her exploits in the year under consideration. “The 34-year-old Colombian won both horizontal jumps at the Central American and Caribbean Games, the IAAF Continental Cup and at the IAAF Diamond League finals – winning the latter two titles in two different cities within the space of 24 hours.
She was unbeaten in all eight of her triple jump competitions, ending the year with a world-leading mark of 14.96m in her specialist event and a national record of 6.93m in the long jump,” the IAAF wrote. The IAAF award ceremony took place in Monaco and was attended by the “high and mighty” in the global athletics arena. IAAF president Sebastian Coe and the Prince of Monaco were in attendance.
Congratulations Eliud Kipchoge,you did us proud. pic.twitter.com/SSPABI6WDD
— TWIRRA'S FINEST (@Macelincaxton) December 5, 2018