Quiet hero Kipchoge sidesteps marathon celebration

He is the man of the moment in Kenya and indeed the entire world, but true to character, Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge "snuck" back home in the early hours of Wednesday, sidestepping a potentially frenzied hero's welcome.

Last Saturday, the marathon world-record holder became the first person to run the distance in under two hours when he stopped the clock in 1:59:40.2 at a Vienna event financed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, owner of the chemical giant INEOS.

"Honored to fly our champion @eliudkipchoge home from Amsterdam. The Pride is so proud of you! #ChampionOnBoard #NoHumanIsLimited," national carrier Kenya Airways tweeted on Wednesday, confirming that the athlete widely acknowledged as the greatest marathoner of all time was back on Kenyan soil.