ELIUD KIPCHOGE (b. 1984)

Eliud Kipchoge’s autograph is presented in a large-scale artist-designed composition devoted to his career and the pursuit of human limits in marathon running. The central image of the athlete is accompanied by a three-dimensional running shoe bearing Kipchoge’s signature and an information plaque with the words “No Human Is Limited.” The contrast between the monochrome portrait and the red accents of the shoe gives the work a strong visual rhythm and emphasises its sporting character.

Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner and two-time Olympic marathon champion, winning gold at the 2016 Rio Games and the postponed Tokyo Games. At the 2022 Berlin Marathon, he set a world record of 2:01:09, improving his own previous mark. He was also a five-time World Marathon Majors series champion.

A defining chapter in Kipchoge’s career came with the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, where he completed the marathon distance in 1:59:40, becoming the first person to cover 42.195 kilometres in under two hours. Because of the specially controlled conditions, the performance did not qualify as an official world record, yet it became one of the landmark moments in marathon history. The idea of transcending perceived human limits forms the conceptual centre of this composition.

The authenticity of the signature is confirmed by an international certificate. Combining an autograph, a three-dimensional sporting object and the image of Eliud Kipchoge, the work forms a collectible presentation associated with Olympic history, marathon running and one of the defining achievements in modern distance running.