SHOCK: Eliud Kipchoge Retires from Running at 41 – to Become a Full-Time Table-Tennis Beast “The marathon gave me everything… now it’s time to give everything to my first love,” says the greatest distance runner of all time
By Aisha Mwangi, Eldoret, Kenya – 1 December 2025
He stood on the finish line of the Valencia Marathon, arms raised, clock stopped at 2:02:47 – another course record, another casual masterclass.
Then Eliud Kipchoge, 41, the double Olympic champion, the man who broke the two-hour barrier, the living legend who has won 18 of his 20 marathons, dropped the bomb that left the entire athletics world speechless.
“This was my last professional race as a runner,” he said calmly into the microphone, smiling like someone who had just found peace. “From tomorrow, I retire from competitive running. I am going all-in on my real passion… table tennis.”
Yes. Table tennis.
The stadium fell silent for three full seconds before exploding into a mixture of laughter, tears, and total disbelief.
Kipchoge continued, eyes twinkling:
“I have been playing ping-pong since I was 10 years old. In the village we had one concrete table under a tree. Every evening after training I played with my friends, my brothers, my father. I never lost. Not once. My family calls me ‘King Pong’.”
Cut to the Kipchoge family compound in Kapsisiywa later that evening: a full-blown table-tennis arena has been built in the backyard – professional Butterfly tables, Olympic-grade flooring, scoreboards, even floodlights.
His wife Grace, his four children, his parents, his cousins – everyone is there, paddles in hand, cheering like it’s the Olympics.
His mother, Janet, 78, still deadly with the backhand, told reporters:
“Running paid the bills. Table tennis fed his soul. We have tournaments every Sunday after church. Eliud never lets anyone win – not even the kids. He says, ‘In this house, the king stays king.’”
His eldest daughter, Lynne, 17, laughing through tears:
“Dad has a secret room with 47 paddles. He names them. He talks to them before matches. He has beaten every coach in Kenya who dared challenge him. He is actually terrifying at ping-pong.”
Kipchoge himself, now in flip-flops and a “King Pong” T-shirt, gave the world the full revelation:
“I have been offered a wild card for the 2026 World Table Tennis Championships in Busan. My goal is simple: Olympic medal in Paris 2028 – in table tennis. Running taught me discipline. Ping-pong taught me joy.
At 41, I am finally free to chase the dream I had at 10.”
The International Table Tennis Federation confirmed tonight: Eliud has already been granted elite status and will train full-time with the Chinese national team starting January 2026.
His longtime coach Patrick Sang, wiping tears of laughter:
“I knew this day would come. He used to make us play table tennis after hard sessions. He destroyed everybody. Even the Kenyans who tried to beat him ended up crying. He is not joking. He is going to the Olympics – with a paddle.”
Social media is on fire. #KingPong is the number-one trending topic worldwide. LeBron James: “From sub-2 to spin serves… never bet against Eliud.” Noah Lyles: “Bro is about to win Olympic gold in TWO different sports.
Insane.” Nike has already dropped a teaser: a silhouette smashing a forehand with the tagline “No human is limited… to one sport.”
Back in Eldoret, the family table-tennis court is packed. Kipchoge, barefoot, absolutely demolishing his 14-year-old son Javelin 11-0, 11-1, 11-2. After match point he raises the paddle like it’s an Olympic torch.
“This,” he says, grinning from ear to ear, “feels like breaking two hours again. Only this time, I get to do it every single day… with my family.”
Eliud Kipchoge didn’t just retire from running tonight. He passed the baton to his 10-year-old self.
And the king of the marathon is about to become the king of the ping-pong table.
Watch out, world. The greatest comeback story just started – one spin at a time.
Kipchoge himself, now in flip-flops and a “King Pong” T-shirt, gave the world the full revelation:
“I have been offered a wild card for the 2026 World Table Tennis Championships in Busan. My goal is simple: Olympic medal in Paris 2028 – in table tennis. Running taught me discipline. Ping-pong taught me joy.
At 41, I am finally free to chase the dream I had at 10.”
SHOCKING NEWS: ELIUD KIPCHOGE has shocked the world by announcing his retirement after saying: “This will be my last race in my running career!” The star revealed that he will be dedicating all his time to training another sport, a secret passion he has nurtured since the age of 10.
ELIUD’s entire family, from his parents to his wife, are enthusiastically supporting him and revealed that they regularly organize matches, where ELIUD is always “king”.
