NAIROBI, Oct.16-- He is the man of the moment in Kenya and indeed the entire world but true to his character, Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, 'snuck' back to his homeland in the early hours Wednesday, side-stepping what would have been a roaring and frenzied welcome. On Oct. 12, the world marathon record holder became the first man to run the distance in under two hours when he stopped the clock in 1:59:40.2 in an event dubbed INEOS 1:59, financed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, owner of the chemical giant INEOS. "Honored to fly our champion @eliudkipchoge home from Amsterdam. The Pride is so proud of you! #ChampionOnBoard #NoHumanIsLimited," national carrier, Kenya Airways tweeted on Wednesday confirming that the athlete widely acknowledged as the Greatest Of All Time marathoner was indeed back home. His arrival was in sharp contrast to his departure for Vienna, Austria where he achieved the feat dubbed as a moon-landing moment for sport last week when INEOS sent a private jet to fly him from his native Eldoret through Nairobi and Alexandria. Local and international media based in Nairobi were eagerly anticipating a return fit for a king but once again, the four-time London and three-time Berlin marathon winner stuck to his humble nature and slipped back home as quietly as he has always done. "Kenya's world record holder Eliud Kipchoge sneaked back into the country quietly early Wednesday morning following his history exploits on Saturday in Vienna," the Daily Nation reported on their website under an article titled 'Eliud Kipchoge sneaks back quietly after historic feat.' |