Olympic Marathon defending champions Eliud Kipchoge and compatriot Peres Jepchirchir headline an 11-member squad comprising five men and six women athletes who will represent Kenya at the 2024 Paris Olympics Marathon.

Kipchoge heads to France with two Olympic titles, and clinching the Paris edition would make the 39-year-old the oldest athlete to defend his title.

The legendary marathoner had a disappointing performance at this year’s Tokyo Marathon, where he finished the race 10th, recording a time of 2:06:50.

Kipchoge is now focused on defending his title at the Olympics and has been training hard since Tokyo.

He leads a star-studded list of athletes in Team Kenya, including Tokyo Marathon winner Benson Kipruto and Timothy Kiplagat, the 2022 Abu Dhabi Marathon champion.

Also included are little-known Vincent Ngetich, the young man who challenged Kipchoge at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, and Alexander Mutiso, who won silver for Team Kenya during the 2018 World Under-18 Athletics Championships.

Meanwhile, the women’s squad is equally star-studded, with Peres Jepchirchir leading the pack as she seeks to defend her title and win her second consecutive Olympic marathon gold.

Also included in the team will be reigning New York City and Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, who aims to make history with Team Kenya.

Adding depth to the field is former world marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei, who was the runner-up at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 New York City Marathon champion, will also be among the stars competing in the Olympic Games as she has made the team.

Two-time Chicago Marathon champion Ruth Chepng’etich has also secured her spot and hopes to claim her first Olympic title. Chepng’etich has been in great form and is expected to represent Kenya with distinction.

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