Soya gala postponed in honour of Kiptum
Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum poses for photos with his World Athletics Male Out of Stadia Athlete of the Year award on December 11, 2023 in Monaco.
What you need to know:
- Kiptum and Rono died five days apart this week at 24 and 72 respectively
- Kiptum, who died on Sunday alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana, is among the five top nominees for the Sportsman of the Year award
- Rono, who staged an unparalleled performance in 1978 where he broke four world records within two months besides winning four gold medals from Commonwealth and African Games, died on Thursday morning receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital
The 20th edition of the Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) gala, set for March 1 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) will be a celebration of its kind.
Besides rewarding top performers from 2023 season, the sports fraternity will celebrate the loves of the fallen heroes and heroines including marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and legendary Henry Rono.
Kiptum and Rono died five days apart this week at 24 and 72 respectively.
Kiptum, who died on Sunday alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana, is among the five top nominees for the Sportsman of the Year award.
Rono, who staged an unparalleled performance in 1978 where he broke four world records within two months besides winning four gold medals from Commonwealth and African Games, died on Thursday morning receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital.
It took 10 months for the late Kiptum to completely change the world’s marathon running landscape, ushering in a new era with three fastest times in the history of the distance race.
The death of Kiptum on February 11 this year brought to a halt what perhaps could have been another monumental moment with the 24-year-old having declared his intention to run the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14 this year in under two hours.
After breaking the marathon world record by 34 seconds at Chicago Marathon on October 8 last year, Kiptum, who ran a new marathon world record of two hours and 35 seconds, dared the world to dream.
It’s this achievement that saw the 24-year-old Kiptum deservingly earn nomination for the 2023 Sportsman of the Year.
That is why the 2023 Soya Gala, that was scheduled for February 23 this year has been postponed to March 1 to allow the world to celebrate Kiptum's life that has touched and inspired many.
Kiptum’s phenomenal run in Chicago saw him break Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record of 2:01:09 set at Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2022.
Kiptum would rewrite marathons history books as the first man to run a marathon under two hours and one minute, marking the first time a world record was set in Chicago since Moroccan Khalid Khannouchi’s feat of 2:05:42 on October 24, 1999.
Kiptum had on April 23 last year blown away the field to win the London Marathon in a course record time of 2:01:25, the second fastest time ever in marathon history.
The previous course record of 2:02:37 was held by Kipchoge from 2019.
His achievement was enough to have Kiptum win the 2023 World Athletics Athlete of the Year Out of Stadia Award- Male.
The late Kiptum, is among two compatriots, who will battle volleyballer Simon ‘Kosirai’ Kipkorir and Kenya Sevens star Patrick Odongo for the award.
The other duo from athletics is world 10,000m and world half marathon silver, Daniel Simiu and world 800m silver medalist, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who is also the world cross country mixed relay gold medalist.
Simiu settled for silver in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships, Budapest, Hungary on August 20 and World Half Marathon in Latvia on October 1.
Final shortlist for Sportsman of the Year Category
1. Kelvin Kiptum (Athletics)
2. Daniel Simiu (Athletics)
3. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Athletics)
4. Patrick Odongo (Rugby)
5. Simon Kipkorir (Volleyball)
