“It was the worst news of my life.” Eliud Kipchoge has not yet recovered. The double Olympic marathon champion told BBC Sport Africa that he had experienced a campaign of online harassment following the fatal accident of his rival Kelvin Kiptum last February. Threatened with death along with his family, the 39-year-old Kenyan had seen his name falsely linked to the death of the marathon record holder.
“I received a lot of bad things: we will burn your (training) camp, we will burn your city, we will burn your house, your family,” he explains. Eliud Kipchoge did not want to file a complaint or notify the police: “I do not have the power to go to the police to tell them that my life is in danger. So my concern was to tell my family to be extremely aware and careful. I was really afraid of my children going to school! »
Kipchoge “lost 90% of his friends”
The double Olympic champion, who is aiming for a hat-trick in Paris this summer, did not want to change his training site or living space to ensure his safety. He still assures that this online abuse disrupted his performance. Kipchoge finished 10th at the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, his worst finish since his debut in 2013. “When I was in Tokyo, I went three days without sleeping,” he revealed.
Kipchoge also says he “lost about 90% of his friends” in “a difficult month” where many of his relatives truly believed in his involvement in Kiptum’s tragic accident. “It was really painful for me to learn that even my own people, my training comrades, those with whom I am in contact insult me,” he concluded. Now I don’t trust anyone! »
