This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
On October 12, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge made history by running a marathon in under two hours during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria. The world was abuzz with congratulations for the Kenyan athlete's incredible achievement.
However, just a week later, critics who had initially questioned Kipchoge's ability to beat the two-hour mark began to raise new concerns. They alleged that his specially designed Nike shoes gave him an unfair advantage in the race.
One of the critics was Ryan Hall, a former Olympic marathon runner who finished 10th in the Beijing Olympics marathon. Hall expressed his concerns on Instagram, stating:
"With all due respect to (Kipchoge) as he is clearly the greatest marathoner of all-time regardless of the shoe he is in [but] when a shoe company puts multiple carbon fibre plates in a shoe with a cushion between the plates, it is no longer a shoe," Hall wrote.
Hall argued that the shoes needed to be regulated with strict rules to ensure an even playing field for elite runners.
South African comedian Trevor Noah responded to Hall's criticism, defending Kipchoge's achievement and dismissing the idea that the shoes were responsible for his success. Noah joked that if Hall wanted to wear the shoes, he should try it and see how he performs.
"I love how some people are saying he won the race because of some special Nike shoe, you know what, why can’t you just wear that shoe and we see how you will perform. We can’t give the shoes credit for his incredible performance," Noah said.
Noah also poked fun at the idea that Kipchoge's Kenyan heritage was somehow an unfair advantage, saying that the shoes were more likely to be saying, "Oh my God, we’re wearing a Kenyan. We’re going to win. We’re gonna win," rather than the other way around.
