Faith Kipyegon set to receive Honorary Degree Award from University of Eldoret

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon will receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Education Arts from the University of Eldoret.

Kipyegon will be awarded the degree during the school's 13th graduation ceremony on November 21 in Eldoret.

The university announced the honor on its social media, stating, "Ms. Kipyegon is an accomplished middle- and long-distance runner and holds the world records for the 1,500 meters and the mile.

Her most notable achievement was becoming the first athlete to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the women’s 1,500 meters. During the 2023 season, Faith set world records in the 1,500 meters and the mile within 49 days," said the institution.

The university is recognizing Kipyegon for her exceptional season, which included three world records, her third Olympic gold in the 1,500 meters, and a silver medal in the 10,000 meters.

These achievements have also earned her a nomination for the prestigious World Athlete of the Year 2024 award.

In addition to her records, Kipyegon faced challenges at the Olympics, notably in the 5,000-meter race, where she was briefly disqualified for alleged obstruction of Ethiopia's world record holder, Gudaf Tsegay.

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However, Kenyan officials successfully appealed, and her silver medal was reinstated.

She ended her 2024 season on a high, maintaining her status as a top global athlete.

In 2023, Kipyegon won titles as the 1,500m and 5,000m world champions before shattering the 1,500m world record.

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Though she began the season uncertain due to an injury, she quickly silenced doubts by competing against 10,000m world-record holder Beatrice Chebet in the 5,000m race at Kenya’s National Olympic trials, winning with a time of 14:46.28.