Kipyegon, Jepchirchir feted by Uhuru
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 12.12.21. | 15:11
The Olympic Gold medalists were awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior.
Olympic 1,500 meters record holder Faith Kipyegon and 2020 Olympic Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir were awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The two athletes were feted during the Jamhuri Day celebrations held at the Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi on Sunday 12 December for their heroics in the 2020 Olympics where they flew the Kenyan flag high.
OLYMPIC gold medalists 1500m star Faith Kipyegon, marathoner Peres Jepchirchir awarded with Order of the Grand Warrior. #JamhuriDay2021 https://t.co/xGmSeZzNeC
— CapitalFM Breaking News (@BreakingNewsKE) December 12, 2021
During the award ceremony that preceded the speeches in the event, the duo were lauded for their exploits in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where they won Gold.
“Faith Kipyegon is a middle-distance runner specializing in 1,500 meters she won a Gold medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and she has won Gold medals at the 2011 World Under 18 Championships and the 2012 World Under 20 Championships. The national anthem of Kenya was played as the world listened due to her heroic victory,”
“Peres Jepchirchir is a professional long-distance runner, she won a Gold medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games in the Women's marathon, the toughest race in the Olympics. She has also won Gold medals at the IAAF World Half Marathon championships in 2016 and again Gold at the World Championships 2020, she is also a former Half Marathon World Record holder,” read the announcer.
2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalists Faith Chepng'etich Kipyegon (1500m) and Peres Jepchirchir (women's marathon) awarded OGW by President Uhuru Kenyatta. https://t.co/DEv93N34qE
— Ali 'Mwamvita' Manzu (@Ali_Manzu) December 12, 2021
Kipyegon has enjoyed a spectacular 2021 as she also bagged the 2021 Diamond League title at the Zürich Weltklasse as she fended off strong opposition from Dutch athlete Sifa Hassan.
Jepchirchir capped her spectacular year by winning the 2021 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:22:39, becoming the first person to win the Olympic gold medal and the New York City Marathon in the same year.
President Uhuru Kenyatta confers various Kenyans for their distinguished and outstanding services they rendered Kenya #JamhuriDay2021 pic.twitter.com/RS8viqf40a
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) December 12, 2021
The Order of the Grand Warrior (O.G.W) is an award presented to individuals in recognition of an outstanding service rendered to the country in different responsibilities and capacities. More importantly, it is an award presented to those who put their lives at risk to save their fellow countrymen.
The recipients of the O.G.W are those who leave a lasting image on their fellow countrymen by putting their country first before their personal feelings and interests.
