President Uhuru Kenyatta receives representatives of the triumphant Kenyan contingent to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at State House, Mombasa. [PSCU, Standard]
Kenya’s two-time Olympic champions, Faith Chepng’etich (1500m) and Eliud Kipchoge (marathon) warmed our hearts early this week.
World Athletics nominated the duo for 2021 for Male and Female World Athlete of the Year Awards set for Monaco in December. Kipchoge won the NN Mission Marathon in Enschede, The Netherlands, in April, beating 45 world class marathoners seeking to qualifying for Tokyo Olympic Games. He clocked 2:04:30.
He then retained his Olympic title, winning 80 seconds ahead of his nearest opponent – the largest winning margin in a men’s Olympic marathon since 1972. On the other hand, Chepng’etich enjoyed a near-perfect season in 1500m, overcoming a strong challenge from Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan. That stood as one of our showstoppers at the Olympics.
Then on Wednesday, the Irish government named Brother Colm O’ Connell, a lay missionary and athletics coach at St Patrick’s High School Iten, among 11 recipients of this year’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award for his work coaching athletes in Kenya.
READ MORE
Time for world beaters to show their supremacy at Kip Keino Classic
Kirui, Kibiwott to renew rivalry at Kip Keino Classic
All eyes will be on Omanyala once again at Kip Keino Classic
Colm came to Kenya in 1976 and has coached many Olympic and world record holders. They include world 800m record holder David Rudisha, 1992 Olympic champions Mathew Birir, Brimin Kipruto, Vivian Cheruiyot and Peter Rono as well as world champions Edna Kiplagat, Janeth Jepkosgei and Eunice Sum.
Colm will be presented with the award by Irish President Michael D Higgins at a ceremony on December 2.
It is unfortunate that Kipchoge, Chepng’etich and Colm featured nowhere in the 2021 State Commendation awardees for sports. Yet they are warming up for honour at the global stage.
Even after spending more than 45 years coaching Kenyan athletes, Colm has not received state honour. This raises questions on the criteria used to honour sports persons.
Although we applaud government’s continued gesture to award outstanding sports personalities –from football, rugby, volleyball, athletics and all – during state functions, we feel some deserving persons were left out during Mashujaa Day celebrations last week.
This is another archetypical case of the stone that builders rejected, becoming the cornerstone. Let’s scan through awardees for State Commendations, especially in sports, carefully.
