Three Kenyans nominated for 2024 Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year awards

Three Kenyan long-distance runners have been nominated for the World Athletics Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year 2024 awards.

The awards, whose voting on social media will close on Sunday 3 November, reflect some of the standout performances achieved at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Athletics Cross Country Championships, Label road races and other events around the world.

Headlining the list for Team Kenya is marathon star Ruth Chepngetich, who earlier this month (Sunday 13 October) became the first woman to run under 2:10 in the 42km marathon, running a new world record time of 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon.

On top of shattering what was thought unthinkable, the win was Chepngetich’s third in Chicago, following impressive wins in 2021 and 2022.

Also on the shortlist which has five men and women in two separate categories, is Agnes Ngetich, who on Sunday 26 October ran the second-fastest women’s half marathon time in Valencia.

Making her debut over the distance, the 25-year-old missed the world record by 12 seconds timing 1:03:03, that feat adding to her impressive showing on the road this year.

Ngetich is a world record holder in the women’s 10 km and 5km races, and in April came close to breaking the women's-only 10km record in a frenetic finish at the Adizero: Road to Records race in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Closing out the list of Kenyans is Benson Kipruto, who on top of winning the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, marked a brilliant debut with the national team to clinch bronze at the Paris Olympic Games.

Athletes joining Kipruto in the men’s category include Yomif Kejelcha, race-walker Brian Daniel Pintado, Tamirat Tola, and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo.

In the women’s category, Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan, Sutume Kebede, and Berlin marathon winner Tigist Ketema join Chepngetich and Ngetich.

Agnes Ngetich seconds shy off world half marathon record in Valencia