During its 13th graduation ceremony on November 21, 2024, the University of Eldoret (UOE) will celebrate Faith Kipyegon, among other distinguished individuals and leaders, by conferring an honorary degree on the three-time Olympic champion in the 1,500-metre race.
“The University of Eldoret has nominated Faith Kipyegon for the award of Honorary Doctorate in Education,” UOE’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Thomas Kimeli Cheruiyot, announced.
UOE awards honorary degrees on a selective basis to distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for outstanding achievement or leadership in a field or activity consistent with the university’s ideals and purposes.
“Ms Kipyegon is an accomplished middle- and long-distance runner and is the reigning 1,500-metre and mile World Record holder,” the Vice Chancellor said.
Faith Kipyegon is the only three-time Olympic champion in the 1,500-metre race, having won gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and 2024 Paris Olympics in France.
She has won multiple World Athletics Championships in the 1,500-metre race and the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the 5,000-metre race, in which she was a world record holder until last year.
Before Faith Kipyegon set the 5,000-metre world record, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia held it at 14:06.62, set in 2020. Kipyegon broke this record with a time of 14:05.20 at the Meeting de Paris in June 2023.
Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia then broke Faith Kipyegon’s 5,000-metre world record at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon, in September 2023, finishing with a time of 14:00.21—five seconds faster than Kipyegon’s previous record.
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