Eliud Kipchoge wins his first Olympic marathon title in Rio (© Getty Images)
After winning two gold medals in 2016 and 2021, Kenyan marathon great Eliud Kipchoge will return to the Olympics, this time as a flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
The 41-year-old is one of the eight bearers who will carry the Olympic Flag into the San Siro Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony on 6 February. The flag bearers were selected by the International Olympic Committee and Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026: athletes, as well as individuals whose personal and professional journeys embody the principles of peace, unity and solidarity that inspire the Olympic Movement.
Kipchoge is a five-time Olympian who won his two Olympic marathon titles in Rio in 2016 and Sapporo in 2021.
He made his Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, when he claimed 5000m bronze, and he followed that with 5000m silver in Beijing in 2008. After winning his two Olympic marathon titles, he returned to the roads at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
As well as his many major marathon wins, Kipchoge has twice improved the world marathon record – to 2:01:39 in Berlin in 2018 and to 2:01:09 in the same city four years later.
In addition to his accomplishments in athletics, he is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Sport, Integrity and Values, and he became a mentor to the U20 World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team in 2023.
