Patrick Sang, Kipchoge’s coach: “Eliud is very stubborn”

They are from the same Kenyan town, Kapsisiywa, but they don’t know each other. Until a child no one called Eliud Kipchoge He knocked, again and again, on the legendary coach’s door Patrick Sangrevealing the “very stubborn” nature of his student, who is now considered the “king of the marathon.”

“Who are you?” Sang shouted more than twenty years ago to that boy who was desperately asking him for advice.

The mentor of the two-time Olympic champion and best marathon runner in history reviewed his disciple’s first steps in an interview with EFE after directing, stopwatch in hand, a workout on Kipchoge’s crimson tartan track Keino stadium in Eldoretthe so-called “city of champions”, west of Kenya.

As an athlete, Sang – who gained several kilograms but remained slim – was a runner in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and won a silver medal in 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

The “deafening buzz” of the Barcelona Olympic stadium, where he was “admired” by the then Spanish middle distance runner, still echoes in his memory. Fermin Cachogold medal in the 1,500 meters event.

However, his exploits as a coach far exceeded his achievements on the track, having guided stars such as Kipchoge himself, Faith Kipyegon (two-time Olympic champion in the 1,500 meters) and Geoffrey Kamworor (three-time who is half-marathon world champion) .

How did your relationship with Eliud Kipchoge begin?

I think it was 2001 or something and he wanted a training program. But I don’t know who he is.

Don’t they know each other?

I didn’t know him then. I gave him a training program. But he kept coming. Then I asked him: “Who are you?” He told me that it was Eliud, that he was from my people. His mother was my kindergarten teacher.

Did you see a lot of potential in that young man?

Yes, especially when it comes to personality: very stubborn in the pursuit of knowledge. He was very stubborn because he kept coming. In Kenya, we have a lot of talent, but talent alone needs to be combined with many things. And that’s what he showed later.

Is that unknown Kipchoge different from the famous Kipchoge?

No, the Eliud I knew then is the same Eliud I see now.

What is the secret of success of the “marathon king”?

He is someone who points to something and says “I want to get this.” It’s a scorer. He is determined, focused and sacrifices a lot. If you don’t do all these things, you will never succeed. But he does them naturally.

Kipchoge’s list of achievements is very long. Which one would you highlight?

The transition to the marathon and the different energy that comes with running a marathon. Especially in 2016, after the (Rio de Janeiro) Olympic Games, when he started thinking about why the two-hour (barrier) couldn’t be broken. For me that makes a difference. This is the idea that brings out many things. This idea is possible.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you ignored that stupid kid?

In 2018, in Berlin, I was at the finish line when Eliud ran the marathon. He went straight to where I was (…). At that moment, the question you ask me now is the question I ask myself.

And what happened?

At that moment, I raised him like this (Sang gestured by raising his arms) when the world record (broken by Kipchoge) was written on the screen behind him. That question came to my mind and I cried.

It’s exciting, isn’t it?

People thought he was crying because of what he had done. You can’t see because he’s sweating. But honestly I cry (thinking) if I didn’t do it (attend the Kipchoge boy). It was a scary moment. I was holding him and I was afraid to think that he would do anything else.

And how many works the world has not answered!

Yes. And how much I, personally, hurt.

The Paris Olympic Games are coming up in July and August. What is your student’s fitness level?

Training is a work process. You know you can’t gauge the potential end result from where we are now, but he’s been training hard for that goal.

Do you think you can make history by winning your third straight gold after Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020?

It’s a competition. My wish is that you achieve it.

What’s more important: winning Olympic gold or breaking a world record?

If he can win gold, it will be even more historic.

Kipchoge is the only person to run a marathon in under two hours, although that mark – broken in Vienna in 2019 – has not been officially verified.

No no No! In championships it is about different things. These are medals. It’s about winning. And, as I saw the course (of Paris), it is not a course for world records.

Before training, you were a 3,000-meter hurdler and won a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Is this your most special achievement?

It was one of the best moments of my career.

In Barcelona, ​​do you admire any Spanish athletes?

Fermin Cacho. It really impressed me because, first of all, this guy is not ranked that high in the first place. He then embraced the spirit of sports and what it means to a nation. And he took it literally to say: “I’m in Spain, I’m Spanish, the Olympic Games are in Spain, I have to prove my worth at home.” That’s special. I even ask how Fermín Cacho is doing.

Cacho’s gold in the 1,500 meters was undoubtedly epic.

The stadium emitted a deafening echo. And you think this country is proud of its son. It was not a moment to be forgotten.

This April he turned 60 years old. Do you still see yourself training for a long time?

Sometimes you realize that negative things happen in sport, like the issue of doping, for example, is very serious (…). And that’s mind boggling, especially when you see young people. We are losing role models throughout the sport because of that. So ask yourself: is this something I want to continue doing with all this negativity around me?

But will he continue the “war” for a while?

Sure, as long as there is Faith (Kipyegon), Geoffrey (Kamworor), the young people. And Eliud still says that 39 (marathoner’s age) is just a number.