Beatrice Chebet has been named the LG/SJAK Sports Personality of the Month (SPOM) for August 2024, after her stellar performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she claimed gold in both the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m races.
This marks the fifth time Chebet has won the coveted SPOM award.
Star athlete Chebet, a two-time World Athletics Cross Country champion, made history by becoming the first Kenyan woman to win two gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
Her historic Olympic debut saw her clinch the 10,000m title with a time of 30:43.25 at Stade de France, just four days after capturing the 5,000m gold in a dramatic final.
In the 5,000m race, Chebet finished in 14:28.56, securing her spot as the second Kenyan woman to win the event, following in the footsteps of Vivian Cheruiyot, who won in Rio 2016.
The race was made even more eventful after Faith Kipyegon, a three-time 1,500m Olympic champion, was briefly disqualified but later reinstated to take the silver medal with a season-best time of 14:29.60.
LG East Africa Managing Director, Dongwon Lee, commended Chebet’s remarkable achievements, expressing confidence that her latest recognition will further motivate her, while inspiring upcoming athletes to emulate her consistency and drive.
“Chebet’s performance at the Olympics was nothing short of outstanding, and we are sure that she will continue to impress globally,” Lee remarked.
Chebet’s selection as the SPOM for August was highly competitive, with fellow nominee Faith Kipyegon making history by becoming the first Kenyan to win back-to-back 1,500m Olympic titles, setting a new Olympic record of 3:51.29 in Paris.
Other contenders for the award included Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who secured Kenya’s fifth consecutive 800m Olympic gold as well as KCB Rugby Halfback Emmanuel Opondo, who was instrumental in his team’s third consecutive Kabereri Sevens title win.
Additionally, nominees for the SPOM award included Harambee Starlets and Kenya Police Bullets FC goalkeeper Annedy Kundu, recognized for her performance at the 2024 Cecafa Women’s Challenge Cup, where she was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Cricket player Kreeshna Mehta, who scored 288 runs for Kenya U-19 at the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifiers and World U-20 5,000m champion Andrew Alamisi, who claimed Kenya’s second-ever gold in the event in Lima, Peru, were also in contention.
