Gov’t aw*rds Kipyegon, Moraa mi*lions after Budapest impressive show
Faith Kipyegon and Mary Moraa have been awarded millions by the government after their impressive performances in the just-concluded World Athletics Championship.
In total, the government rewarded team Kenya with a total of Ksh21 million during an event that took place in Nairobi on Friday, September 1, 2023, which was also attended by President William Ruto.
Kipyegon won two gold medals when she conquered the 1500m and 5000m and was awarded Ksh4 million, while Moraa won the country's third gold when she emerged as the winner in the 800m and was given Ksh2 million.
Kipyegon lifted the two golds against a field of strong rivals; Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Gudaf Tsegay, who was the defending champion in the 5000m, posed a real threat to the Kenyan.
Rare record
By winning double gold in the 1500m and 5000m, Kipyegon, 29, became the first woman to do so at the World Athletics Championship.
This is the second time this year that Kipyegon has won rewards from the government, after she had done so earlier when she broke records in the Diamond League series.
Meanwhile, despite stiff competition from Keely Hodgkinson, Athing Mu, who was the defending champion, Habitam Alemu, and Halimah Nakaayi, Moraa accelerated in the final stage to win the accolade in 1:56.03.
Mu was second in 1:56.61, while Hodgkinson came third in 1:56.04. Moraa, who is the national 400m record holder and the 2022 Diamond League 800m champion, has been in sensational form this season, and her efforts have been recognized by the government.
Volleyball queens recognised
Apart from the team that flew the Kenyan flag in the Budapest Championship, the government, through the Ministry of Sports, rewarded Malkia Strikers, who lifted their record tenth Africa Women's Nations Cup title. 
Malkia Strikers became African 2023 champions after beating Egypt 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-14) in Cameroon, and this was a historic win that brought to an end an 8-year-long wait for the title.
The victory meant that Kenya booked a place in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and the win also saw their ranking improve from 30th to 22nd in the latest FIVB World Rankings.
