Eliud Kipchoge’s Nairobi run with Macron: The French connection

Eliud Kipchoge was just 18 years old when he won the gold medal in the 5,000 metres at the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris, France. Making his first appearance at the event, Kipchoge won with a championship record time of 12:52.79, beating Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj (1,500m champion) and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele (10,000m champion).

This victory in the City of Light was the only time that Kipchoge, who went on to become a double Olympic champion and world record holder in the marathon, was crowned world champion in a track event, making the French capital pivotal in his athletics career.

On Monday, while speaking at the Africa Forward Summit 2026 at the University of Nairobi, Kipchoge reflected on that moment. “Self-discipline has driven me for the last 23 years, ever since that evening at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, when I became the youngest world champion,” said Kipchoge, who retired from running after finishing 17th in the 2025 New York Marathon.

Athletes are often guilty of getting facts about their achievements wrong, and Kipchoge was no exception. Ishmael Kirui, a double world champion in the 5,000 metres, was 18 years and 177 days old when he won his first gold medal in the event in 1993. Kipchoge was 18 years and 299 days old at the time of his victory in Paris, which made him the second youngest 5,000 metres world champion in the event’s history.

Read: Eliud Kipchoge joins French President Macron for morning run in Nairobi

However, earlier that morning, Kipchoge was not mistaken when he went for a jog with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is co-hosting the Africa Forward Summit 2026 with Kenyan President William Ruto. France’s Ambassador to Kenya, Arnaud Suquet, also accompanied them.

Videos of Kipchoge and Macron jogging together, flanked by a retinue of French Embassy officials and security staff, went viral online.

The exercise provided Macron with a unique opportunity to see the streets of Nairobi, which ended with Kipchoge giving him a pair of running shoes after they had interrupted lessons at State House Primary School, where they mingled with excited children.

Too fast

Later, President Macron joked that Kipchoge was too fast for him.

However, there are over 1,000 French people who can boast of being faster than Kipchoge.

In October 2021, Kipchoge visited Paris to participate in a 5 km mass pursuit race organised to mark the start of the 1,000-day countdown to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Dubbed the ‘2024 Paris Marathon For All’, the event attracted nearly 3,500 people, all of whom were given a head start over Kipchoge.

Read: 2026 African Athletics Championships: Kenya begin gold hunt with women’s 5,000m

Ultimately, over 1,000 participants successfully capitalised on their head start, earning a place in the mass public marathon held on the same day and along the same route as the 2024 Paris Olympic Games marathon. “It was a great joy to be with all the runners on the Champs-Élysées in Paris this morning. It was so good to meet you all on the way, and to those I didn’t see, congratulations on getting your bib for the 2024 Paris Marathon For All,” said Kipchoge after completing the mass pursuit 5 km race in 14 minutes and 25 seconds.

During his visit, Kipchoge also toured Parc des Princes, home to French football club PSG. As well as taking a tour of the stadium, he met the club’s coach at the time, Mauricio Pochettino, and exchanged gifts with Kylian Mbappé, the former PSG forward who transferred to Real Madrid in 2024. The former PSG number seven gave the Kenyan football boots and a PSG jersey emblazoned with “Kipchoge 7” on the back. In return, Kipchoge gave the speedy French striker a pair of running shoes.

In August 2024, Kipchoge returned to Paris to seek immortality by becoming the first man to win three consecutive Olympic marathon races. His ambition did not end in a fairytale swansong.

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