- Eliud Kipchoge bowed out of the race by handing out his shoes and socks to fans
- The two-time Olympic gold medalist was reduced to walking before quitting
- He allowed the last-placed athlete to get past him as viewers showed their love
Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s greatest marathon runner, took a taxi to the finish line after quitting the event at the Paris Games.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist, competing at the age of 39, stopped to allow last-placed Ser-Od Bat-Ochir to overtake him after 31 kilometres.
He handed his shoes and socks to fans lining the road as the crowd cheered and clapped before disappearing into an Olympic van, perhaps the last glimpse of a legend at the Games.
Kipchoge had been in the leading pack in the first 10k and dropped back to around a minute behind the frontrunners at the half-way mark. He was one of 10 runners unable to finish.
Ethiopian Tamirat Tola claimed gold with an Olympic record time of 2:06:26, with Great Britain’s Emile Cairess missing out on a podium spot by 27 seconds in fourth.
Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s greatest marathon runner, had to pull out of the race in Paris
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was ushered into an Olympic van after 31 kilometres
He had handed away his running shoes and socks as the crowd showed their appreciation
Kipchoge, who was the world record holder between 2018 and 2023, had been hoping to become the first man to win three Olympic marathons.
Between 2014 and 2019, he went on a phenomenal 10-race unbeaten streak in major marathons.