Kenyan world record holder Kipchoge sells first set of digital Non-Fungible Tokens for rare memorabilia

Kenyan Kipchoge goes digital

JOHANNESBURG, April 12 (ANA) – Kenyan men’s marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge over the weekend proved he is keeping up with the times by selling his first set of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) which are digital collectible items.

The digital memorabilia items were sold for 17.9837 Ethereum currency (a digital currency) which works out to 37 351.07 US dollars.

Kipchoge, 36, is the first Kenyan professional athlete to use NFTs. The NFTS are digital representations of his 2019 moment when he became the first person to run under two hours for the marathon, in an unofficial event.

The sales worked on an auction basis, carried out over five days which ended on Saturday.

The Kenyan kicked off his marathon career in 2013 with victory in the Hamburg Marathon, and said he’s delighted to return to compete in the event later this year.

Kipchoge has since gone on to win 11 of his 13 races over the classic distance and has produced two of the three fastest performances of all-time, topped by his 2:01:39 world record at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

One year later, Kipchoge became the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in the event, when he clocked 1:59:40 at an exhibition event in Vienna.

In Tokyo, Kipchoge will aim to become just the third man to win back-to-back Olympic marathon titles.

Kipchoge finished in eighth place at the London Marathon in October, which was the first time he finished worse than second in his career. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman