Kenya has been known as the country where great athletes come from. The Kenyan anthem has to be sung in major competitions, especially in the distance running category. It is not a surprise that when Kenyans residing from other countries introduce themselves, one will acclaim, “Oh! You are from Kenya?” And they will be asked if they run because of the respect for Kenya athletes over the years.
Not everyone in Kenya can run, but the entire country stands with their athletes who graced the tracks and broke many world records that currently stand in the history of the Olympics. These successful men and women that we can’t expound on all of them. We will only touch on prominent names that the country and the entire world have become identical on the local and international stage. At BetKing Kenya, we salute all the Kenya Athletes and sportspersons, bet with BetKing in Kenya as we give a shout out to some of them in this article.
1. Rita Jeptoo
Rita Jeptoo is another female athlete that set the carpet for current Kenya female marathoners. Her fastest personal best time is 2.23.38, which she set during the 2006 Boston Marathon. Jeptoo raised the Kenyan flag in the Boston marathon on three separate occasions and set the course record with a time of 2.18.57 in 2014. Her other marathon records include Chicago, Milan, and Stockholm.
2. Wilson Kipsang
Wilson Kipsang is another athlete that set a world record in the distance race. He started his trade on the track in 2007, during which He became second at the Tilburg Ten Miles meeting with a personal best record of 46.27. That podium finish pumped him up, and he followed it up with another road race win in Hem with a personal time record of 27.51. that year he announced himself to the world and finished the year as the fourth fastest man in the 10-kilometer race.
Kipsang won significant marathon races in London, Berlin, New York, and Tokyo between 2012 and 2017. He finished third during the 2018 Berlin Marathon meeting. Kipsang holds the twelfth best time in the half marathon race with a personal time of 58.59 minutes.
3. Henry Wanyoike (Paralympian)
They say disability is not inability. Henry Wanyoike became disabled at 21 years when He suffered a Stroke. This made Him lose about 95% of his sight. This condition did not stop his star from shining because he ensured that his name was encrypted as the most excellent runner in records books. He set many records in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter categories.
Some of the records that Wanyoike has collected include 5000-meter T11 gold in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. In 2002, He won gold in 5,000 and 10,000 meters, respectively, at the World Championship. Wanyoike also finished at the podium at the 2004 Athens Paralympic games, where He won double gold in 5,000 and 10,000 meters. In this tournament, He set a world record that still stands to date.
Henry Wanyoike also took part in rod races, where he excelled. He won half and full marathons in some of these races.
4. Tegla Loroupe
Tegla Loroupe’s success came in the marathon field, where she won several golds and many podium finishes. She has since retired after a dynamic career in the long-distance and road races. Tegla holds the current records in 25 and 30-kilometer races. Other records that she held before retiring other marathon records that she held have since been broken by other athletes.
Her fame led her to double up and become a global spokesperson for peace, where she champions the rights of women and children’s education. In the history books, Tegla became the first African woman to set the World Record, which lasted three years between 1998 and 2001. She won three World Half marathon races and became the first African woman to scoop the New York Marathon on two separate occasions.
Tegla won other marathons in London, Rome, Rotterdam, Berlin, and Hong Kong.
5. Eliud Kipchoge
Eliud Kipchoge is arguably the most famous living athlete the country has produced for the world. He is, without a doubt, the greatest marathoner after all the records he has broken and set. His most recent accomplishment was the 42-kilometer marathon challenge that He ran under two hours. This took place in front of the eyes of the entire world in Vienna, Austria, in 2019
The first championship title that Kipchoge won was in 2003. This was a junior category at the IAAF World Cross Country Championship. He set a new junior record in 5,000 meters in the track race. That was just a tip of the ice bag; he collected medals in consecutive years. Kipchoge collected silver medals in the 2007 Championship race, 2008 at the Summer Olympic, and in 2010 in Commonwealth Games.
Currently, Kipchoge holds the marathon record that He broke with a time of 2.01.39, which he set by 16 seconds after breaking his other record at the Berlin Marathon in 2018. Eliud Kipchoge has participated in 13 marathons and won 12 of them.
There you have it, these are just a few famous athletes who have brought numerous accolades to Kenya, and the list is endless. We can go on and on.
