At precisely 15 minutes past 8am, the announcer counts down the clock by 15 seconds. Among them are scores of Kenyans who have travelled from neighboring countries and others all the way from Kenya, eager to cheer their national legend.Įliud Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder is once more set to make athletic history. Many are convinced that they are on the verge of witnessing a once in a lifetime sporting spectacle. The anticipation among the fans is palpable as they seek vantage positions before the start of the race. Thousands more line up the race route on both sides of the iconic Hauptallee in the Prater park, known to local runners as “the green lung of Vienna” due to the fresh air from the trees along the 4.3 km straight avenue. Hundreds of excited fans make their way through the grey chilly morning to the bridge. Francis of Assisi Church can barely be seen through the mist lifting slowly from Europe’s second-longest river, the Danube. Eliud and seven members of his elite team of pacemakers jog up and down a 50-meter stretch behind the starting point of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge Race on the gentle slope of the bridge. The time is 8am, the temperature is 9 degrees centigrade at the Reichsbrücke (German for Imperial Bridge) in Vienna, Austria. In the marathon, we now have the philosophical Eliud Kipchoge.ġ2th October 2019. In tennis, the dominant sisters Venus and Serena Williams. In athletics, we had the exciting sprinter Usain Bolt. In basketball, we had the versatile Michael Jordan. In boxing, we had the poetic Muhammad Ali and the rage of “Iron” Mike Tyson. In football, we had the remarkable Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as Pele, and the mercurial Diego Maradona. Once every few decades comes a sports hero, a legend, who transforms and ignites their discipline far beyond its traditional boundaries to inspire millions of people who would otherwise have little interest in that sport.
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