Kelvin Kiptum who broke Eliud Kipchoge’s marathon record has jetted back into the country. Kiptum was received by government officials together as well as his family members.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba was on hand with a 5 Million cheque for the champion. The amount is what President Ruto promised to any athlete who breaks a world record back in June.
Kiptum ran a total of 2:00:35 to take off 34 seconds from Eliud Kipchoge who set the bar in Berlin last year. Kiptum has been crowned world athletic champion in the Chicago Marathon this year.
“I feel so happy. I was prepared. I knew I was coming for a course record, but fortunately [it was] a world record. A world record was not in my mind today, but I knew one time, one day I’d be a world record holder.” he said in a statement after the race.
The champion bags 14.9 Million after coming first in the race, additional 7.4 Million from Nike for breaking the record and 5 Million that President William Ruto promised for record breakers in international events.
That brings a total of 27.3 Million for Kelvin Kiptum for this race alone. On Tuesday, he was received by members of his family who celebrated the newly crowned champion.
He takes over the mantle from Eliud Kipchoge who has over the years dominated the long distance marathon making him a global brand name.
Kenyans On X however have noted with concern that the former Champion has not publicly acknowledged Kiptum’s triumph and has been loudly silent since his record was broken.
Dalanews takes this opportunity to congratulate Kelvin Kiptum for his exemplary performance in the Chicago Marathon. Thank you for flying the Kenyan flag high.
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