Kenyans react to another alleged Faith Kipyegon statue in Nakuru

Barely a month after an alleged statue of triple Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon was pulled down in Eldoret, another sculpture has emerged online, this time in Nakuru.

An image shows a person sculpting a statue of a female athlete in front of a Kenyan flag painted on a wall.

The statue, dressed in a white sports outfit, has outstretched arms, with the artist adding finishing touches.

The facial features and expression of the sculpture are detailed, capturing a smile. The Kenyan flag behind the sculpture consists of the traditional black, red, white, and green colours, signifying national pride.

Kenyans on social media speculated that the statue is that of 1500m world record holder and three-time Olympic champion, Faith Kipyegon due to their distance semblance.

It then sparked immediate debate due to its visible mismatch with the athlete's likeness.

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“This guy should be arrested, what is this?” an X user Kaburu posed.

Another netizen Samwel Wekesa said, “This one is perfect. He got it right.”

Muhsin Hussein Ali also joined in the conversation saying, “If he is told that he is not talented it becomes an issue, but that is the truth we do not like.”

“That's just bad art,” Toxic Prince said.

“That's no sculptor and that’s no Faith,” Mwangi offered.

This comes after another alleged Kipyegon statue was pulled down in Eldoret due to public outrage.

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Kipyegon’s accomplishments on the track have been nothing short of spectacular.

This year, she won a third consecutive Olympic gold and a fifth Diamond League crown. With the accolades safely in her possession, the world might assume she’s ready for a well-earned rest. But the world record holder is not done just yet.

The superstar is now gearing up for the Athlos Meet slated for Thursday 26 September.

The Athlos Meet, which was founded by Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian, is one of the highest-paying events, with Ohanian announcing that the prize money would be hefty. It is an invite-only race.

The three-time Olympic champion will be out to prove her mettle and is hoping to bag the hefty prize money of Ksh7.6 million ($60,000) for the winners with the second-place and third-place finishers set to walk away with Ksh3.1 million ($25,000), and Ksh1.2 million ($10,000) respectively.

Athletes who end in fourth, fifth and sixth position will not walk away empty-handed, as they will also take home Ksh1.03 million (USD 8,000), Ksh645,872 (USD5,000) and Ksh322,936 - (USD2,500) respectively.