Eliud Kipchoge , 35

Athlete and Marathon World Record Holder

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge was recently named the World Male Athlete of the Year for the second time, just weeks after he became the first man in history to run a marathon in under two hours. Kipchoge was honoured during the annual award ceremony in Monaco hosted by World Athletics.

Kipchoge, who is also the Olympics Marathon champion and trains in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County mesmerised the world when he clocked 1:59 during the INEOS Challenge in Vienna, Austria. Over the years, the athlete has won 12 out of the 13 marathons he has competed in. In 2018, Kipchoge ran a brilliant race in Berlin where he managed to lower the marathon record time to 2:01:39.

“It took me five months to prepare for the challenge; I wanted to make history and show the world that no man is limited,” he said after the challenge.

Besides being bestowed with the highest civilian honour, the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (EGH), Kipchoge also received a cheque for Sh100 million for a library to be built in his honour at Kapsisiywa Secondary School in Nandi County.

Kipchoge’s latest achievement is the honorary degree he received from Laikipia University for exemplary performance in athletics.

“It was a great honour for the university to identify my good performance in the sport and award me,” said Kipchoge.

–Benard Rotich