by Justin Lagat
After the World Athletics and the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) coincidentally recognized Faith Kipyegon’s outstanding achievements for the last month, on the same day (the 2nd of August 2023), one cannot help but wonder what happens again when and if she wins two gold medals at the world championships in Budapest this month?
On their social media handle, through a voting process by athletic fans, World Athletics named Faith Kipyegon’s mile world record at the Monaco Diamond League meeting as July’s Moment of the Month. SJAK, on the other hand, is naming and rewarding Kipyegon for the second consecutive month -as the athlete of the month- after she was awarded last month for setting two world records in June.
Will she be named the athlete of the month for three consecutive months if she performs well again in Budapest, which is likely?
Even the SJAK president, James Waindi, seemed to recognize the fact that Kipyegon still has more in store, saying that the country had high expectations of her ahead of the 2023 World Championships, as the award was presented to her at her training camp in Kaptagat.
“SJAK congratulates Faith for the second Sports Personality of the Month award. We encourage you to continue inspiring the world with your exceptional wins. As sports journalists, we will continue telling the stories of our athletes as they write history in local and international races. We thank LG for the partnership that has seen athletes recognized and awarded every month over the years,” Waindi said.
Kipyegon was awarded an LG 55 Inch NanoCell TV for breaking the women’s Mile World Record at the Monaco Diamond League on the 21st of July, 2023, winning the race in 4:07.64 in an extraordinary display of consistency and focus.
It was a back-to-back LG/SJAK award for her after getting rewarded last month for breaking the women’s 1,500m World Record at the Florence Diamond League on the 2nd of June and following it up with the 5,000m world record in Paris on the 9th of June.
“This award is another huge motivation, especially as I prepare to represent the country at the Budapest World Championships. I could not imagine that I would secure another award a month after being recognized by LG and SJAK. I am thankful for the award and promise to do more,” Kipyegon said.
LG Electronics EA PR and Digital Manager, Glenda Achieng, lauded the record-breaker for her phenomenal performance this season. “Faiths demonstrated that hard work and discipline in sports yield results. It is even more impressive that Faith is winning an award for the second month in a row. Her success in the track is an inspiration to athletes and the entire world”, she said.
