Thursday, May 25th, 2023 02:30 | By
FROM LEFT: Tokyo Marathon Champion Rosemary Wanjiru, World Cross Country 10km champion Beatrice Chebet, London Marathon Champion Kelvin Kiptum and Kenya Pipeline’s Pamela Adhiambo. PD/SPORT PICHA
Fresh from clinching the prestigious London Marathon title, Kenya’s youthful long-distance runner Kelvin Kiptum promises that the best is yet to come despite his threat on the world marathon record when he ran superbly on the streets of Britain’s capital last month to grab a maiden victory from a pool of seasoned athletes.
Kiptum, 23, was among four sports personalities in the country who were awarded yesterday in Nairobi for their stellar performances from January to April by the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) in partnership with LG, a global giant in electronic appliances.
The Elgeyo-Marakwet-based athlete has now attracted global attention after his show in London where set the second fasted marathoner in history, missing the world record mark set by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge by 16 seconds only.
The Valencia Marathon champion says that he is open to representing Kenya at the 2024 Paris Olympics and that he is also eager to feature in the World Championships in Budapest this year, should his management okay.
“First,I would like to thank the Sports Journalist Association of Kenya and LG for this award. It means a lot to me and I promise to work hard to get more accolades. In London, I was well prepared and optimistic for a podium finish and despite the huge competition in the race, I managed to win. For me, it is a dream come true and I feel good about that accomplishment.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming races like the Olympics next year and I’m also thinking of representing Kenya at the World Championships in Budapest although I’m waiting for a signal from my management. If they say I am ready to compete, then I will be open for selection,” Kiptum told People Sport after receiving his award for Kenya’s Sports Personality of the Month for April.
Kenya Pipeline Volleyball team hard-hitting blocker Pamela Adhiambo received an award a few minutes after landing in Nairobi from Tunisia where her team finished second during the Women’s African Club Championships after going down fighting against Zamalek (3-1) in the Monday night mouth watering final.
Adhiambo was feted as SJAK/LG player of the month for January after helping her team to grab the Kenya Volleyball Federation title during the season’s play-off in Nairobi.
“I am humbled by this award and I would like to dedicate it to my coach Paul Gitau and my teammates who equally gave a good fight to ensure we win the national title. I’m grateful to SJAK and LG for the recognition,” Adhiambo said.
World Cross-Country 10km champion Beatrice Chebet was named February winner in the award. In a dramatic senior women’s race at the Championships held in Bathurst, Chebet overpowered pre-race favourite Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey, who fell and was disqualified meters from the finish line.
Chebet,the U-20 World Cross Country champion in 2019, won senior gold in 33:48 minutes as Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama clinched silver in 33:56 minutes and Agnes Jebet completed the podium places in 34 minutes.
The reigning Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru claimed the March award. Wanjiru cruised to a surprise victory at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 5, 2023, chalking up a win that placed her among the world’s top ten fastest women marathoners. The Iten-based long-distance athlete ran a remarkable race, destroying a strong field in her second World Marathon major. The 2022 Berlin Marathon runner-up whizzed the tape in 2:16:28 after pulling away from the leading pack in the final kilometres in the Tokyo race.
LG Electronics East Africa Senior Trainer and Content Manager, William Kamore lauded the quartet for their exemplary performance.
“Kenya is known for producing great athletes be it in long- and middle-distance running, rugby or women’s volleyball and therefore coming out tops lends credence to the level of resilience they give to the sport. As title sports of this award, we strive to raise the morale of athletes to help them target desirable limits in sports and make a difference in their livelihood. This informs the reason why LG and SJAK have partnered to inject the much-needed morale and gusto among athletes,” said Kamore.
He summarized by adding that the growth of this prestigious Player of the Month Award will, by and large, help bring the country to the tipping point of a great new opportunity – making sports viable again for all and sundry.
SJAK chairman James Waindi on his part congratulated the four athletes for their great effort saying: “For the past 8 years we have partnered with LG to ensure that we raise the spirits of athletes across all sports. Today see athletes Fighting to break the ceiling and put Kenya on the global map. I’m glad that this award has worked to whip up the enthusiasm of athletes and also improve their welfare with a widerange of LG products.”
With the recognition, the winners walked home with personalized trophies and LG 55” NanoCell TV each. They beat several other high-flying nominees to earn the recognition. Over past years, the LG/SJAK awards has rewarded the crème de lacrème of Kenyan sports including Eliud Kipchoge, FerdinandOmanyala, trailblazing junior grand slam winner Angela Okutoyi, rally star Karan Patel and Faith Kipyegon among others.