NAIROBI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- For Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, 2018 was a truly great year. Xinhua takes a look back at the 35-year-old's annus mirabilis.
Kipchoge first shot to global prominence when he won his first individual world championship title in 2003, winning the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships and also setting a world junior record over 5,000m on the track.
At the age of 18, he won the 5,000m world title when barely out of his teens, and switched to road-running in 2012, where he has so far won 11 of the 12 major marathon races, including the Olympic gold at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
In May 2017, Kipchoge attempted the first sub-two-hour assisted marathon, but fell short of achieving the feat by 25 seconds.
"Kipchoge might have thought about 2018 and what would make it a good year. He must also have discarded the mindset that could have prevented him from trying new ideas by challenging himself or preventing him from discovering that he may relish or even excel at them," suggested Nairobi-based sports analyst Peter Migo on Tuesday.
Famed as well for his gentlemanly demeanor and philosophical remarks, Kipchoge's achievements have seen him assume the mantle of the greatest ever marathon runner athlete.
Kipchoge started 2018 by winning the London Marathon in April against a strong field that included Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele and defending champion Daniel Wanjiru.
On October 16, 2018, he won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:39 to break compatriot Dennis Kimetto's 2014 record by one minute and 18 seconds.
In October, the United Nations named Kipchoge the UN Personality of the Year, noting that the Olympic champion had shown "initiative, integrity and courage", both on the track and for his work in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.
In November, he was named best male marathon runner of 2018 by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).
Kipchoge added another feather to his cap after he was also named the 2018 IAAF athlete of the year and Kenya's best sportsman.
