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Months after journalist Levis Kones advised athletes to use their most comfortable language for interviews, Kelvin Kiptum chose Swahili for his post-award speech upon winning the World Athlete of the Year – Out of Stadia Events award.

Kones’ advice, given in April after several Kenyan athletes faced challenges expressing themselves in English following victories in the Boston Marathon, encouraged athletes to use Swahili or other local languages and let media houses provide translators.

Kelvin Kiptum thanks fans

During the World Athletics Awards 2023 held on Monday night in Monaco, Kiptum became one of the first Kenyans to deliver his speech in Swahili.

“Mara ya kwanza nataka kuwashukuru mafans wangu kwa kunivotia. Nimekuwa mshindi wa mwanariadha bora na nawashukuru sana” (For the first time, I want to thank my fans for supporting me. I have become the best athlete, and I am very grateful to you all), he stated.

Kiptum achieved a world record in a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, running 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October.

He became the first athlete to break 2:01 in a record-eligible marathon, winning the race by almost three and a half minutes and taking 34 seconds off Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record.

Kelvin Kiptum debut

Just one year after his marathon debut, Kiptum now holds three of the seven fastest times in history, having also won the TCS London Marathon in April in 2:01:25.

The ceremony in Monaco honoured Kenyan stars, with Faith Kipyegon winning the Women’s World Athlete of the Year Award.

Faith Cherotich and Emmanuel Wanyonyi were recognized as the Rising Stars in the women’s and men’s categories.