Kipyegon, Kiptum scoop World Athlete of the Year Awards

World women’s 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum were on Monday night announced among the six stars to have bagged the World Athletes of the Year for 2023, in an awards ceremony in Monaco.

The Kenyan duo, as a result of the adaptation of the World Athlete of the Year honors awarded this year, won their respective categories as; World Athlete of the Year Award for Track Events (for Kipyegon) and World Athlete of the Year for out of stadia events (for Kiptum).

Kipyegon set world records at an incredible three distances during a season in which she also achieved a golden double at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.

First, the 29-year-old Kenyan improved the world 1500m record to 3:49.11 in Florence, taking almost a full second off the previous mark.

Just one week later, and despite having raced the 5000m just twice before, she improved the world record for that event, too, clocking 14:05.20 in Paris to shave 1.42 seconds from the old record.

Her third world record came in Monaco, where she smashed the previous mile mark by five seconds, clocking 4:07.64. Then, in Budapest, she won her third senior world 1500m title and her first world 5000m crown.

For Kiptum, he achieved his world record in a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, running 2:00:35 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October.

Becoming the first athlete to break 2:01 in a record-eligible marathon, the 24-year-old Kenyan won the race by almost three and a half minutes and took 34 seconds off Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record.

Just one year on from his marathon debut, Kiptum now has three of the seven fastest times in history to his name having also won the TCS London Marathon in April in 2:01:25.

“Today is a beautiful closure of an amazing year for me,” Kipyegon posted on her social media page early Tuesday morning. “I am honored that my performances on the track have been recognised by the athletics community. The support of my family, my team, my training partners, my fellow competitors fuel me to work hard and chase my dreams and ambitions. I hope my achievements motivate and inspire many girls to do the same.”

Among the other Kenyans recognized in the event were the youngster duo of world 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist Faith Cherotich and world 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who were awarded as Rising Stars of 2023.

The Kenyan teenagers both won medals at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, Cherotich claiming bronze in the 3000m steeplechase and Wanyonyi securing silver in the 800m.

Cherotich, who won world U20 bronze in 2021 and gold in 2022, also moved to second on the world U20 all-time list with 8:59.65 to finish third in the Diamond League Final in Eugene, while she finished fourth in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships.

As well as his world medal win, 2021 world U20 gold medalist Wanyonyi became Diamond League champion in 2023, claiming the trophy in a PB of 1:42.80.

He also won Diamond League races in Rabat, Paris and Xiamen and formed part of Kenya’s victorious world cross country mixed relay team.

FULL AWARDS LIST:

World Athletes of the Year for 2023

Women’s track: Faith Kipyegon, KEN, 1500m/mile/5000m

Women’s field: Yulimar Rojas, VEN, triple jump

Women’s out of stadia: Tigist Assefa, ETH, marathon

Men’s track: Noah Lyles, USA, 100m/200m

Men’s field: Mondo Duplantis, SWE, pole vault

Men’s out of stadia: Kelvin Kiptum, KEN, marathon.