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SOYA Awards organisers have announced a change in the event dates in honour of the late Kelvin Kiptum as they also nominated him in the Sportsman of the Year category list.
World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum has been selected among the top five nominees for the 2023 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) Sportsman of the Year. The organisers are announcing a change in the dates as they seek to honour the fallen hero.
The event was supposed to be held on February 23 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and has since been pushed to March 1 as preparations ramp up for the annual gala.
Kiptum has been nominated owing to the change he brought to the world of marathon running before his life was sadly cut short in a tragic road accident on Sunday. He had just competed in three marathons and was getting ready for his fourth at the NN Rotterdam Marathon where he would attempt to break the two-hour barrier.
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Kiptum made his full marathon debut at the Valencia Marathon, clocking the fastest time in a debut after timing 2:01:53 to cross the finish line. The 24-year-old then competed at the London Marathon, clocking the now third-fastest time to cross the finish line.
He then stunned the whole world after breaking the marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon. He clocked 2:00:35 to completely shatter Eliud Kipchoge’s world record time of 2:01:09.
The late Kiptum will be up against Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who bagged a silver medal at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Wanyonyi was also in a class of his own during the mixed relay at the World Cross-country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.
Daniel Simiu has also been shortlisted, thanks to his impeccable form last season that saw him bag the 10,000m silver medal at the Hungarian Capital before also bagging a silver medal at the World Road Running Championships.
Daystar Falcons star Patrick Odongo has also made the cut to the list thanks to his dominant exploits last September where he managed seven tries during the Rugby Africa 7s event that also doubled up as a qualifier for the 2024 Pari Olympics.
Shujaa went ahead to win the continental title and in the process qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Odongo was Shujaa’s joint top scorer alongside John Okoth emerged as the hero in the finals after touching down twice as Kenya beat South Africa 17-12 on September 17.
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Despite his great displays on the pitch, Odongo, 19, was mourning his mother who had passed on, on September 9 just before the team traveled to Zimbabwe.
Volleyball player Simon Kipkorir has also been nominated, after becoming the first Kenyan player to win the Confederation of Africa Volleyball Men's Club Championships title.
His Tunisian team, Mouloudia Sportive de Bou Salem, overpowered Zamaleck in the final to be crowned champions on home soil as Tunisia successfully hosted the annual continental event for a third year in a row.
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