Olympic champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge has been named the inaugural CITIUS MAG Male Athlete of the Year.

The decision was made based off conversations between CITIUS MAG staff writers. While there are many worthy candidates that we highlighted over the past week on our site, picking Eliud Kipchoge was a no-brainer after he set the world record of 2:01:39 at September’s Berlin Marathon.

Kipchoge’s year started as he again asserted his dominance on the marathon with a win under record-setting hot conditions at the London Marathon in 2:04:17. In September, Kipchoge returned to the Berlin Marathon and finally set the world record in the marathon. For a runner as accomplished as him, it was not much of a surprise, but in typical Kipchoge fashion, he found a way to shock us. By taking 78 seconds off Dennis Kimetto’s world record, he proved to that he is not only the best right now but head and shoulders greater than anyone who came before him. It may be a while until we see another runner like Kipchoge.

Outside of sport, Kipchoge is also the perfect role model. In October, the United Nations in Kenya recognized his role in helping raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in Kenya. Kipchoge has also done work as an ambassador for WildAid to stop the poaching and harming of elephants in Africa. A lot has been written about Kipchoge’s humble approach to life. While he’s earned millions of dollars from appearance fees, sponsorships and prize money, he continues to live under simple conditions with an emphasis and focus on his training and teammates.

We can all strive to be like Eliud.

In honor of Kipchoge winning the CITIUS MAG Male Athlete of the Year Award, we have designed this special digital cover and you can own it! The cover is on sale for a limited time. There are only 100 covers available so don’t miss out. Get your own here.

“I watched as Eliud Kipchoge called his shot, and then went out and ran faster than any human had ever done before him. He denied going for a world record, instead opting to say he was looking for a “personal best.” But then Kipchoge asked for world record pace — the rabbits would go out in 61-minutes for the half marathon. This was Eliud calling his shot in a truly Eliud way. But unlike shooting a free throw or swinging at the next pitch, we’d have to wait for nearly two hours to see what he could do.”

– from Ryan Sterner’s essay ‘Eliud Kipchoge Called His Shot’