Faith Kipyegon To Be Conferred Honorary Doctorate Degree
The world record holder in the 1,500-metre race will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The University of Eldoret is set to award an Honorary Degree to three-time Olympic Games champion Faith Kipyegon.
The institution in a notice carried on local dailies on Friday, October 25, revealed that the world record holder in the 1,500-metre race will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Education.
"The University of Eldoret has nominated Ms. Faith Chepn'getich Kipyegon for the award of Honorary Doctorate in Education," announced the university in part.
The university explained that the move was aimed at recognizing the athlete who had won the hearts of many across the globe through her sterling performances on the track.
The administration block of the University of Eldoret. /UNIVERSITY OF ELDORET
The institution of higher learning further announced that the conferment of the Honorary Doctorate of Education is scheduled to take place during the University of Eldoret 13th Graduation Ceremony to be held on November 21, 2024.
Kipyegon, a specialist in the 1500m, has had a brilliant 2024 as far as athletics is concerned. "Ms Kipyegon is an accomplished middle and long-distance runner and is the reigning 1,500 meter and Mile World Record holder," added the university.
"Her most notable feat was becoming the first athlete to be a three-time Olympic champion as she won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 1500-meter women's race. During the 2023 season, Faith set World Records in the 1,500 meters and the Mile within 49 days."
This nomination comes days after Kipyegon was nominated for the Female Track Athlete of the Year by the World Athletics. For her to emerge victorious, she is expected to garner the most votes.
The Kenyan star has since rallied her fans to vote for her through social media platforms with the voting window set to close on Sunday, October 27. The award ceremony will be held on December 1, 2024, in Monaco.
Read more: Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, Wanyonyi Shortlisted For World Athletics Awards: How To Vote
Kipyegon has built on a superb 2023 season with a stellar 2024 campaign. During the 2024 Paris Olympic Games wrote history by becoming the first Kenyan to win three gold medals at the Olympics and during the games, she broke the Olympic record by winning the women's 1500m at a time of 3:51.29.
To put it in simple terms, her third successive Olympic title made her the first athlete, male or female, to hold such honours in the 1500m. Since her first Olympic victory in Rio in 2016, Kipyegon has continued to shine on the world stage. In 2021, she confirmed her status as a 1,500m queen by winning gold in Tokyo.
In 2023, she broke three world records; the world mile, 1500m race and 5000m race. She also won two world titles, becoming the first woman to win both 1500m and 5000m titles in a single world championship competition.
In 2024, she began with a win in the Paris Diamond League where she shattered her own 1500m record. prior to her brilliant show at the Olympics.
Another victory followed for Kipyegon in the Rome Diamond League finals, which she won by clocking 3:54.75. Finally, she secured victory in the Diamond League 1500m finals in Brussels, clocking 3:54.75.
Kipyegon will be joining the prestigious list of athletes who have received Honorary Degrees in recent years.
In 2023, Kenya's marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge was awarded an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). Kipchoge's recognition stemmed from his performance in athletics here in Kenya and across the world.
