- South Africa’s Springbok captain and rugby icon Siya Kolisi is over the moon after meeting marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.
- The Kenyan sensation is set to make his debut African marathon appearance at the 2026 Cape Town Marathon 2026 in Cape Town.
- Kolisi has hailed Kipchoge as one of the greatest athletes the world has ever witnessed.
South Africa’s Springbok star Siya Kolisi is a man over the moon as he is absolutely buzzing to meet marathon great Eliud Kipchoge, hailing the Kenyan sensation as one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.
Kolisi’s excitement comes just as the beloved icon of long-distance running and the first man to ever break the two-hour barrier, is set to lace up for his debut African marathon, racing at the Cape Town Marathon 2026 in South Africa on Sunday, May 24.
Kipchoge is one of only three men to claim two Olympic gold medals. He’s shattered the marathon record twice, racked up the most major marathon victories, and holds the most Berlin Marathon wins.
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But on Sunday, the Kenyan legend is poised to achieve something far more personal at the Cape Town Marathon, which is striving to become Africa’s first major marathon.
And the Springbok great did not hold back, recognizing greatness face to face.
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Speaking exclusively to SportPesa News, Kolisi stated that all they want is to celebrate an African son and their own and having him there is more than enough.
“I was stars’ truck. I’m honored. It’s good to see him and watch him race in Africa as well. I think that’s really special. So hopefully this event becomes so successful that it turns into one of the world majors.
But just to have him here, that’s what we want. We want to be able to celebrate our own, so we want our own race in Africa too,” Kolisi told SportPesa News ahead of the event.
The 34-year-old is not hiding his thrill about meeting the Kenyan legend on Monday, and he hopes the Cape Town Marathon will grow into a success and join the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
“I’m actually meeting with him soon, so I’m really excited for that. We’re meeting tomorrow. Everybody is so excited to have him here. We’re honored, man. He’s the greatest to ever do it. It’s a big day for Africa. Hopefully everything goes well and becomes successful so we can have a world stage where people from all over the world can come and see how special our continent is.”
The Cape Town Marathon will serve as the opening stop of Kipchoge’s ambitious “Eliud’s Running World” project, where he plans to compete in seven marathons across seven continents over the next two years.
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Kipchoge will line up in one of the strongest fields ever assembled for an African marathon, with both the men’s and women’s course records under serious threat from the star-studded lineup.
With a world-class elite field that includes 13 men and eight women who have run faster than the current course records of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, the 2026 edition is set to be the fastest yet.
The 32nd edition will see 27,000 marathon runners lining up, including a host of world-class elites and wheelchair athletes.
With over 45,000 people expected to take part, Kipchoge’s presence alone is enough to bring the “No Human Is Limited” slogan to life, pushing the younger generation to go further in the race.