Paulo Coelho promises Eliud Kipchoge first Kiswahili copy of ‘The Alchemist’
Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho has promised to send double Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge the first ever Kiswahili translation of his best-selling novel The Alchemist.
This comes just days after Kipchoge lowered his own world record by 30 second last weekend at the Berlin Marathon to set a new mark of 2 hours 1 minutes and 9 seconds.
Kipchoge, used a quote from the novel “if you want to be successful you must respect one rule never lie to yourself,” to psyche himself up for the race. The quote is also visible inside the gate to Kipchoge’s training camp in Kaptagat.
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On Thursday, Coelho shared a short video clip looking at a computer screen displaying the said quote alongside a photograph of the legendary long distance runner.
Then he proceeds to turn to the camera before revealing the maiden Kiswahili translated copy of the novel subtly titled Mualkemia.
“This is for you Mr Kipchoge; the first edition of The Alchemist in Kiswahili, thank you for being who you are,” he says.
Thanks for being you ❤️! pic.twitter.com/S7MzziOLmw
— Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho) September 29, 2022
In a different tweet on Thursday, Coelho revealed that he was due to send the book to Kipchoge on September 30, 2022.
“Tomorrow (Friday) I will send to him (Kipchoge) the first signed copy of The Alchemist in Swahili,” the tweet reads.
Tomorrow I will send to him the first signed copy of The Alchemist in Swahili https://t.co/9EarqFpitS
— Paulo Coelho (@paulocoelho) September 29, 2022
Kipchoge’s latest victory has cemented his status as the greatest marathon runner ever having entered the race with an unbelievable streak of 14 victories in 16 marathon competitions
“My legs and my body still feel young. But the most important thing is my mind, and that also feels fresh and young. I’m so happy to break the world record,” the 37-year-old Kipchoge said after the race.
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On whether he plans to attempt a sub-two hour run in Berlin next year, Kipchoge said: “Let us plan for another day. I need to celebrate this record and have to realise what happens. Just roll and see what happens. There is still more in my legs. I hope the future is still great. My mind is still moving, the body still absorbing the training.”
Kipchoge is also the first person to run a marathon under two hours, a feat he achieved at the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in 2019 when he clocked an incredible time of 1:59:40.
However, the time was not ratified as an official world record because that event was specially designed around Kipchoge and featured multiple pacemakers.
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