President Ruto Hosts Omanyala, Kipyegon for Breakfast at State House

Ferdinand Omanyala, the Commonwealth and African 100m champion, was the first to be welcomed by President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi on Tuesday morning. 

Faith Kipyegon, the holder of the world records in the 1500m and 5000m, was ferried from Eldoret to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on a Kenya Air Force plane and was received by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and Nairobi County Governor Johnstone Sakaja. Kipyegon who was accompanied by her family, including her husband Timothy Kitum (who won the bronze medal in the 800m event at the London Olympics in 2012), her daughter Alyne, and their parents, were then chauffeured to State House.

Kipyegon, the double Olympic and world 1,500m title-holder, was then ushered to State House for a royal breakfast alongside other remarkable athletes including Omanyala 3,000m steeplechase World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and Commonwealth Games 800m champion, Mary Moraa, two-time world cross country champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who is also the three-time world half marathon champion and the 2017 World marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui.

Kipyegon made history on June 2 in Florence, Italy when she shattered the 1,500m world record set in Monaco. Her achievement was followed by an even more impressive feat a week later when she set a new 5,000m world record at the Paris Diamond League in France. Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia had held the former 1,500m world record of 3:50.07 since 2015, while Gidey Letesenbet Gidey also of Ethiopia held the previous 5,000m record of 14:06.52 until Kipyegon's victory in 2020.