Double Olympic Games marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge alongside dounle Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon have been nominated for this year’s BBC African Sports Personality of the year award.
The organizers announced today that the world marathon record holder Kipchoge and Kipyegon are among the six nominated individuals who were chosen by a panel of journalists from Africa and the United Kingdom.
They will be battling out with Paralympian Ntando Mahlang, sprinter Christine Mbona, footballer Edouard Mendy and swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker.
The 37 year old Kipchoge won an Olympic marathon in Tokyo, defending his Rio de Janeiro title and was named the International Olympic Committee’s best male athlete of the Games and has won 13 of the 15 major marathons he has run since 2013.
Kipyegon, 27 holds an Olympic 1,500m record set in Tokyo wheh she defended her Rio title too, becoming the third athlete to retain an Olympic gold.
Mahlangu the South african long jump and 200m runner won his first Paralympic medal aged just 14, when he won silver in the T42 200m at the Rio Games in 2016 – just two years after taking the sport.
Sprinter Mboma from Namibia won was the first Namibian woman to ever stand on an Olympic podium, winning silver in 200m as well as the 200m Diamond League champion.
Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy who played for French side Rennes won the Champions League in May with many clean sheets.
24 year old Schoenmaker won gold and a silver for South Africa with a world and Olympic records in the 200m and 100m breaststroke.