Wanyonyi, Chebet named Kenya's top athletes for 2024

Paris 2024 Olympic champions Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Beatrice Chebet have been named Kenya's best sportsperson of the year.

Wanyonyi, the Olympic 800m champion, was named the 2024 Sportsman of the Year at the 21st Sports Personality of the Year (Soya) Awards held at the iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi on Thursday night.

Chebet, 25, who won an unprecedented double 10,000m and 5,000m gold medal at the Paris Summer Games, finally won the Sportswoman of the Year award after four attempts.

Paris Paralympics long jump silver medallist Samson Ojuka and World Ability Youth Games double gold medallist Michelle Chepng'etich were crowned Sportsman and Woman with a Disability.

Junior Starlets football coach Mildred Cheche was crowned Coach of the Year while her team won the Women's Team of the Year gong, while Nairobi Thunder Basketball team claimed the Men's Team of the Year award.

Wanyonyi beat Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi and Olympic marathon bronze medallist Benson Kipruto into second and third place respectively.

In addition to retaining the Diamond League 800m trophy, Wanyonyi broke the world road mile record with a time of 3:54.56 at the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in April, eclipsing the previous mark of 3:56.13 set by American Hobbs Kessler, who finished second to Wanyonyi in 3:56.18.

Wanyonyi rocked the Kenyan trials for the Paris Olympics, winning in 1:41.70, the third-fastest 800m ever behind Wilson Kipketer's 1:41.11 and David Rudisha's world record of 1:40.91.

Wanyonyi, 20, won gold at the Paris Olympics in a time of 1:41.19, beating Djamel Sedjati's 1:41.46 from Monaco to become the third fastest man in history over the distance behind Kipketer and Rudisha.

Wanyonyi improved his career best by 0.08 seconds to 1:41.11 when he retained his Diamond League crown at Lausanne Diamond on August 22. That moved him into a tie with Kipketer for second place on the all-time 800m list, behind only Rudisha.

"This award inspires me to further improve my personal best and go for the world title this year after settling for silver in Budapest in 2023," said Wanyonyi, who dedicated the award to his mother, Margaret Nasimiyu.

Chebet completed a historic 10,000m and 5,000m double at the Paris Olympics, but warmed up for the Summer Games with a world record 10,000m at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, USA, on May 25.

Chebet clocked a blistering 28:55.14 to win, shaving seven seconds off the previous record of 29:01.03 set by Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia in Hengelo in 2021.

She became the first woman in history to run the 10,000m under 29 minutes and the first Kenyan to hold the world record over the distance.

Chebet clocked 14:28.56 to win the Olympic 5,000m title, beating defending champion Sifan Hassan and reigning world champion Kipyegon, and then sealed the 10,000m victory in 30:43.25 to become the first Kenyan to do so.

Chebet reclaimed the Diamond League 5,000m title, winning the final in Brussels, Belgium in 14:09.82, before ending the season with a world record 5,000m in 13:54 at the Cursa dels Nassos in December 2024.

Chebet began the season with a successful defence of her World Athletics Cross Country title on 30 March in Belgrade, Serbia.

Chebet edged three-time Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon into second place, with Paris Olympic marathon bronze medallist Hellen Obiri third.

Ojuka won Kenya's only medal at the Paris Paralympics, taking silver with a jump of 6.20m, breaking the previous African record of 6.05m set by South Africa's Andrea Dalle Ave in Johannesburg in 2015.

Ojuka beat para-cyclist Kennedy Ogada and powerlifter Shadrack Mutai into second and third place respectively. Ogada, who won two tandem road cycling medals - gold and silver - at the Confederation of Africa Cycling (CAC) Para Cycling Championships held in Cairo, Egypt on June 26-27.

Mutai dominated the under-20 boys' 54kg category, winning two gold medals at the World Abilitysport Youth Games held in Songkhla, Thailand from December 1 to 7 last year.

Mutai took gold in the best lift of 90kg and his second gold with a total lift of 225kg.

 
 2024 SOYA AWARDS SUMMARY

 
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR:

1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Athletics)
2. Ronald Kwemoi (Athletics)
3. Benson Kipruto (Athletics)

 SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR:

1. Beatrice Chebet (Athletics)
2. Faith Kipyegon (Athletics)
3. Hellen Obiri (Athletics)

 SPORTSMAN WITH DISABILITY:

1. Samson Ojuka (Paralympics, Long jump)
2. Kennedy Ogada (Paralympics, Cycling)
3. Shadrack Kipyegon (Powerlifting)

 SPORTS WOMAN WITH DISABILITY:

1. Michelle Chengetich (Para athletics- Discus, shot out)
2. Sheila Wanyonyi (Para athletics, Javelin)
3. Valerie Olesia (Powerlifting) 

COACH OF THE YEAR:

1. Mildred Cheche (National under-17 Girls Football Team)

SPORTS TEAM (MEN):

1. Thunder (Basketball)
2. Rising Stars (national under 20 football team)
3. Kenya Prisons (Volleyball)

 SPORTS TEAM (WOMEN):

1. Junior Starlets (national under-1U football team)
2. National Amputee Team (Football)
3. Kenya Pipeline ( Volleyball)

SCHOOL COACH:

1. Benson Mwenda (All Saints Embu Rugby coach)

SCHOOL TEAM (GIRLS):

1. Kesogon ( Volleyball)
2. St Joseph's (Rugby 7s)
3. Butere (Basketball)

SCHOOL TEAM (BOYS):

1. All Saints Embu (Rugby 15s)
2. Friends School Kamusinga (Basketball)
3. Musingu (Hockey)

 HALL OF FAME:

1. John Bobby Ogolla