A number of top Kenyan marathoners are currently doing everything in their powers to be ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics having snubbed the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary last month.
Kenya sent what many considered ‘weak’ marathon teams to Budapest and ended up empty-handed when Rosemary Wanjiru, finished sixth, followed by Sally Chepyego Kaptich while Shyline Jepkorir did not finish the women’s race.
The men’s team did even worse, Titus Kipruto the best-placed Kenyan in eighth place, while Timothy Kiplagat was 14th as Joshua Belet failed to finish the race.
However, only Kipruto was on the initial men’s team with London Marathon champion Kelvin Kiptum and two-time New York Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor withdrawing in favour of the more lucrative city marathons while marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei also pulled out of the women’s team.
It continued a tradition where the big hitters have opted out of the World Championships which has been one of the reasons the country has struggled to win gold over the distance at the global event.
But with the Olympics up next, the top runners are keen to make the cut, begging the question why the Games and not the Worlds?
For starters, the Olympics has no prize money while gold medallists in Budapest were being awarded $70,000 (Ksh10.2 million), the cash windfall going up to the eighth-placed runners.
The major thing that is making the Olympics popular is the prestige that comes with featuring at the Games and it becomes more lucrative if one wins a medal.
Olympics is one of, if not the oldest major competition, the inaugural Games taking place in 1896 in Athens, Greece and is therefore seen as the pinnacle of sports. It is no wonder NBA superstar LeBron James is spearheading a group of future Hall of Famers – including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant – to commit to Team USA for next year’s Games.
For marathon runners, winning an Olympics gold can be a major life-changing achievement eve if no money will come from Paris.
Being an Olympic champion makes you an instant hit and one of the most sought-after runners from organisers of major city marathons.
This is because it is easer to sell the race when you have Olympic winners, since the interest from fans, sponsors and broadcasters will be great.
For the athlete, the appearance fees go higher when you are an Olympic champion. It means for four years, they can keep bargaining a higher a appearance fees and sponsorship which will boost their coffers whether they win the race or not.
World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge for instance has earned big bucks by virtue of winning back-to-back Olympics gold, getting invited to prestigious races and negotiating higher appearance fees.
Kipchoge has backed it up with impressive performances, breaking world records and pushing to the limits never witnessed before, which makes him a hot cake for race organisers. He already confirmed his participation for next year’s Games, which would make him the first marathoner to win three Olympics gold medals.
Runners can therefore feed off their Olympics success for longer compared to the World Championships which happens every two years, meaning less time to bargain, unless you defend your title.
Just like in football where the FIFA World Cup trumps continental competitions like the Africa Cup of Nations, there is also a feeling among athletes that an Olympics is a once in a lifetime competition which should not be missed since you are never sure if you will participate in the next one.
