Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge named UN person of the year

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge named UN person of the year

7:46 CAT | 24 Oct 2018

Eliud Kipchoge./Courtesy picture

World Marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge was Wednesday named the United Nations Person of the Year 2018. The UN body Africa headquarters in Nairobi paid tribute to his positive role modelling to the youth “to embrace the values of hard work, discipline, focus and dedication to achieve the greatness they are capable of.”

Widely acknowledged as arguably the greatest marathoner of all time, Kipchoge recently smashed the world record by 1 minute 18 seconds.

“I congratulate you, Eliud Kipchoge, on this great achievement, and I have no doubt you will take advantage of this opportunity to show case the values that are indispensable to the kind of success that you now enjoy,” said Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma.

Accepting the award, Kipchoge warned the youth against the temptation of expecting a big break that will set them on the path of fame and fortune.

“It takes extreme effort and many years to reduce one’s time even by five seconds when running. Lasting achievements are based on small increments in doing the right thing,” said the world champion, who has won all but one of his races since he started running the marathon.

Other past recipients include First Lady Margaret Kenyatta for her Beyond Zero Campaign and three-time World Half-Marathon champion, Tegla Loroupe, for peace-building programmes in conflict zones.

Source: APA