Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon has been shortlisted for the prestigious Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, joining an elite group of global athletes.
Kipyegon earned the nomination following an exceptional season in which she became the first female athlete to win three consecutive Olympic titles in the 1500m. The 31-year-old secured her historic third gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, clocking 3:51.29, adding to her previous victories in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2021).
Her Olympic triumph came just weeks after she set a new world record of 3:49.04 at the Paris Diamond League, breaking her own previous mark. In 2023, she also claimed her third world title in Budapest, winning in 3:54.87.
Kipyegon faces stiff competition for the award from a stellar lineup, including seven-time Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles (USA), Olympic marathon gold medalist Sifan Hassan (Netherlands), four-time Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA), tennis star Aryanna Sabalenka (Belarus), and reigning winner, Spanish footballer Aitana Bonmati.
If victorious, Kipyegon will become only the second Kenyan athlete to win the award, following in the footsteps of Vivian Cheruiyot, who claimed the honor in 2012.
The winners will be announced at the Laureus Awards ceremony on April 21 in Madrid.
