Adhiambo, Chebet, Wanjiru and Kiptum win SJAK/LG awards
From left: Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru (March), World Cross Country gold medallist Beatrice Chebet (February), London Marathon winner (April) and Kenya Pipeline outside hitter (January) pose for photos with their respective SJAK/LG Sports Personalty of the Month trophies during the awards ceremony at Riadha House on May 24, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru claimed the March award. Wanjiru cruised to a surprise victory at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon on March 5, chalking up a win that placed her among the world’s top 10 fastest women marathoners.
- The Iten-based long-distance athlete ran a remarkable race, destroying a strong field in her second World Marathon Majors.
Four sports personalities were on Wednesday feted by the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya and LG Electronics for their exemplary performances in the months of January, February, March and April.
Hard-hitting Kenya Pipeline women's volleyball team left attacker Pamela Adhiambo was named the LG/SJAK Player of the Month for January after guiding her side to the Kenya Volleyball Federation National League title.
Adhiambo was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after helping her team come from behind to defeat KCB 3-1 to reclaim the title they last won in 2017.
World Cross-Country 10km champion Beatrice Chebet was named February winner of the award.
In a dramatic senior women’s race at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, Chebet beat pre-race favourite Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey, who fell with the finish line in sight.
Chebet, the U-20 World Cross Country champion in 2019, won the gold in 33:48 minutes as Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama clinched silver in 33:56 minutes and Agnes Jebet completed the podium places in 34:00 minutes.
Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru claimed the March award. Wanjiru cruised to a surprise victory at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon on March 5, chalking up a win that placed her among the world’s top 10 fastest women marathoners.
The Iten-based long-distance athlete ran a remarkable race, destroying a strong field in her second World Marathon Majors. The 2022 Berlin Marathon runner-up whizzed the tape in two hours, 16 minutes and 28 seconds (2:16:28) after pulling away from the leading pack in the final kilometres in the Tokyo race.
London Marathon champion and the second fastest runner in the history of marathon Kelvin Kiptum won the April award.
The 23-year-old had the performance of a lifetime in only in his second marathon to floor a star-studded field and win the title in 2:01:25, the second fastest marathon and just 17 seconds shy of beating Eliud Kipchoge’s marathon world record time of 02:01:09.
With the recognition, the winners walked home with personalised trophies and LG 55” NanoCell TV each. They beat several other high-flying nominees to earn the recognition.
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 sponsors 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.
SJAK chairman James Waindi congratulated the four athletes for their great effort saying: “For the past eight years we have partnered with LG to ensure that we raise the spirits of athletes across all sports. Today we 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 wide range of LG products."
