- Faith Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge are some of the nominees for the 2025 African Golden Awards.
- Apart from Kipchoge and Kipyegon, the likes of Beatrice Chebet, Letsile Tebogo and Ferdinand Omanyala will be in contention for the award.
- The athlete of the year will pocket $35,000 in prize money with the second and third place finishers also receiving monetary awards.
Training partners Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon will square it out for the coveted African Athlete of the Year Award on Saturday 3 May 2025 at Nairobi’s Emara Ole Sereni Hotel.
Kipchoge and Kipyegon are among several African bigwigs who have been nominated for the prestigious award in which the winner will receive $30,000 (approximately Ksh 4,523,750 as per the current exchange rate) in prize money.
The second and third place finishers will each pocket $20,000 and $10,000 in that order.
Faith Kipyegon’s stellar 2024 season
Kipyegon had a fantastic 2024 season that saw her smash the 1500m world record and win the third consecutive Olympic Games title over the distance in the colorful 2024 Paris edition.
Prior to her Olympic Games success, Kipyegon had lowered her 1500m world record from 3:49.11 to 3:49.04 in the Paris Diamond League that took place on July 7.
Some of the other notable successes that the Kaptagat based runner registered last year include winning a 5000m Olympic Games silver medal and the 1500m Diamond League trophy.
Kipchoge failed to impress in 2024
On the other hand, Kipchoge struggled a lot in the 2024, failing to register a victory in any Abbott World Marathon Majors race.
In addition, the 40-year-old did not finish the marathon race in the Paris Olympic Games where he was seeking to become the only man to win three back to back titles.
Other nominees set to fight for the award against Kipyegon and Kipchoge
Besides Kipchoge and Kipyegon, the other nominees for the laurel are Eritrean cyclist Henok Mulubrhan, Selemon Barega (Ethiopia), Hugues Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso), Emmanuel Korir (Kenya), Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda), Akani Simbine (South Africa) and Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco) will also be in contention.
Botswana’s gem Letsile Tebogo, Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya), Berihu Aregawi (Ethiopia), Tobi Amusan (Nigeria), Marie Josee Talou (Ivory Coast) Muktar Edris (Ethiopia), and the sensational Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) will also be challenging.
Kipyegon’s compatriot Beatrice Chebet one of the favorites to clinch the award
Chebet had one of the best seasons last year, winning almost every race she took part in. The 25-year-old made history by becoming the only Kenyan speedster to win Olympic Games medals in 5000m and 10000m in the history of the Games.
Chebet, who outpaced Kipyegon in the final stages of the 5000m in Paris, also bagged a Diamond League trophy and smashed the 10000m track and 5000m road race world records.
Meanwhile, Tebogo became the first African to win a 200m Olympic Games gold medal in Paris while Omanyala triumphed in several high profile races.
According to the organizers of the Africa Golden Awards, the gala will be held in Nairobi to fete the winners with Kipyegon and Kipchoge likely to attend.
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