Gold medallist Eliud Kipchoge says its the athlete and not footwear that makes a champion

ELIUD Kipchoge is simply the best marathon runner today.

He has proved his mettle by winning the gold at the Olympics in Rio in 2016 and retained it in Tokyo recently. In 2018 in Berlin he smashed the world record in a time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds.

That undoubtedly makes him supreme in the event.

However, there are those who argue that it's because of his shoes that he has accomplished all these feats.

They may have a point for since the introduction of Nike's Vaporfly shoe technology those using it have dominated every long-distance road race since then.

Studies have shown the Vaporfly's combination of carbon fiber and foam confers about 4% more energetic efficiency, which allows long-distance runners to shave three minutes or more off their marathon times.

But Kipchoge has emphatically stated that it is the runner and not the shoe that makes a winner.

"Even if the shoes are on, and you are not fit enough to run, then you cannot perform," Kipchoge said. "Many, many people are assessing the shoes, but they are still performing the same. So the bottom line is they need to train more than they are training now if they are underperforming."

Kipchoge is the only person in history to run a sub-two-hour marathon.

A 2017 study that analyzed early Vaporfly models predicted Kipchoge's accomplishment: "With these shoes, top athletes could run substantially faster and achieve the first sub-2-hour marathon," the researchers wrote.

In a press conference before the 2020 London Marathon, Kipchoge said Nike's Vaporfly tech was "absolutely" fair, The Guardian reported.

"Development goes hand in hand with technology," he said. "The shoe is good. We are doing a press conference virtually, is that not technology? We should accept technology and marry technology." - Agencies. August 28, 2021