- Kipyegon's wins made her receive praise from President William Ruto, who described her as a brilliant daughter of the soil.
- In June, Kipyegon alongside sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala received royal treatment after being hosted by President Ruto at State House.
Image: KIPYEGON/X
Double world champion Faith Kipyegon has expressed gratitude after finishing the 2023 season.
In a statement on Sunday, Kipyegon said the year has been incredible.
“After an incredible year with 3 World Records and 2 World titles on the track, I'm proud to finish the season with another World Championships medal in my first road race ever,” she said on her X social handle.
With the season now over, Kipyegon said she will be taking some time off to spend with family.
“2023, you were amazing, and now… holiday and family time. See you all in 2024,” she said.
Kipyegon thanked all her fans for the overwhelming support and sentiments of encouragement.
"I am really humbled. Every race presents a learning curve, this first road race has offered me an opportunity to calibrate and fine-tune for the next season," she said.
Kipyegon on Sunday lost the women’s mile at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.
Kipyegon, aiming for her fourth world record, finished third in the Women's Road Mile with a time of 4:24:13.
The victory went to Ethiopian Diribe Welteji, who clinched the Women's Road Mile title after clocking 4:21.00.
In August, Kipyegon underlined her status as one of the all-time greats by sealing a historic 1,500m/5,000m double at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The 29-year-old bided her time and produced a perfectly calm last lap for the win in 14min 53.88sec.
Before that, Kipyegon had claimed a third-world 1,500m title.
Her wins made her receive praise from President William Ruto, who described Kipyegon as a brilliant daughter of the soil.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua described Kipyegon as the pride of Kenya.
In June, Kipyegon alongside sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala received royal treatment after being hosted by President Ruto at State House.
She was accompanied by her husband Timothy Kitum and their daughter.
To celebrate her exploits on the tracks Ruto awarded Kipyegon with Sh5 million and a house worth Sh6 million.
The President said the reward is for the two records she broke for 5,000 metres and 1,500 metres.
Giving her speech at State House, a teary Kipyegon said she can now buy her father a new vehicle.
"I can finally buy my father a car," she said.
Kipyegon revealed she had promised to gift her elderly father a new vehicle if she broke the world record.
She said she would be able to keep the promise after the cash reward from the government.