From arson to murder threats: Just how bad did things get for Kipchoge?

"It was tough for my boys to hear their dad killed someone!"

These sentiments by two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge in a candid interview with BBC Africa point to a society that has normalised online abuse. 

Following the untimely demise of world record holder Kelvin Kiptum who looked set to challenge Kipchoge's dominance over the classic distance, at 24 in a car crash in February, Kipchoge found himself on the receiving end of online trolling. 

Some social media users began to speculate that Kipchoge had conspired to 'eliminate' that competition in Kiptum, who had lowered the world best to two hours, 35 seconds last October in Chicago.

"I was shocked that people on social media platforms are saying 'Eliud is involved in the death of this boy'," the 39-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.

"That was my worst news ever in my life. I received a lot of bad things; that they will burn the training camp, they will burn my investments in town, they will burn my house, they will burn my family. It did not happen but that is how the world is," Kipchoge tells BBC. 

The Olympic-bound veteran who is chasing a historic third marathon title at the Summer Games, after victories in Rio and Tokyo further narrates how his children were affected. 

"I got really scared of my children going to school and coming back. Sometimes they bike around, but we had to stop them because you never know what will happen. We started to drop them off and pick them up in the evening," he explained, adding that the daughter, who is boarding school, was the only one spared as she had no access.  "But it’s tough for my boys to hear 'Your dad has killed somebody'."

His mother was also not spared as Kipchoge admits to getting support from her during the tough period. 

At a personal level, however, the 39-year-old told BBC he had nothing to be afraid of so continued training, but, after receiving a similar treatment from a section of his training mates and friends alike, his performance was affected. 

Kipchoge came 10th in the Tokyo Marathon on 3 March, his lowest finish since his debut in 2013, crossing the line over two and a half minutes behind the winner Benson Kipruto.

"When I was in Tokyo I had three days which I did not sleep," he revealed. "It was my worst ever position."

Despite that setback he was named in Kenya's marathon team for the Paris 2024 Olympics last Wednesday, and is now focused on creating more history at the Games as he aims to win a third successive gold medal.

Eliud Kipchoge on a mission to inspire next generation of athletes

"It's about getting up and going straight again, to your goal," added Kipchoge, who in 2019 became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, albeit in controlled conditions in Vienna.

"I want to go into history books, to be the first human being to win back-to-back-to-back."

Additional reporting by BBC Africa