Mashujaa Day: Sports Stars Who Made Kenya Proud in 2023, From Faith Kipyegon to Kelvin Kiptum

• Kenyan sports stars like Faith Kipyegon, Joseph Okumu, and Kelvin Kiptum have put Kenya on the map with their world-class showing
• On the 60th Mashujaa Day, Sports Brief looks at some Kenyan sports stars who made the country proud
• This year, Kenya athletes showed why they are a powerhouse in middle and long-distance athletics

2023 has been a phenomenal year for Kenyan sports. Athletes from different disciplines have represented the country well in Africa and overseas.

As Kenyans celebrate the 60th Mashujaa Day, we look at some of the athletes who've carried the flag with pride and cemented their "Shujaa" status.

Mashujaa Day is commemorated on 20th October and celebrates Kenya's heroes and heroines.

In 2023, Kenyan sports stars broke barriers and world records and set standards throughout the year. The East African country is one of the benchmarks for middle and long-distance athletics.

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Ever since the late Wilson Kiprugut won Kenya and Africa's first Olympic medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Kenya has become a powerhouse in athletics, winning medals and breaking long-standing records.

He paved the way for Naftali Temu, who became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic gold medal, which came in the 1968 Mexico City games. In fact, the 1968 games saw Kenya announce itself on the world stage. An indisposed Kipchoge Keino won gold and silver in Mexico City, ushering in an era of dominance.

Football legend Dennis Oilech also paved the way for some of Kenya's football stars of this generation.

In almost six decades, Kenya has churned out iconic stars who went on to become heroes and heroines for the country.

Joseph Okumu - Football

Okumu left Belgian side KAA Gent to join French Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims. So far, he's made five appearances in Ligue 1. He is only the fifth Kenyan to feature in the top five European leagues. He is the second Kenyan to play in the French league after the great Dennis Oliech.

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Eliud Kipchoge - Athletics

Kipchoge ran two marathons in 2023, in Boston and Berlin. He finished a distant 6th but won his 5th Berlin Marathon in September. His win in Germany was his 16th in 19 marathons in his career. He broke his own world record in 2022 in Berlin. This year, at 38, he removed any doubt about his status as the greatest marathoner in history.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi - Athletics

Kenyan athletics seems to be undergoing some sort of transition, and Emmanuel Wanyonyi seems to be at the forefront of that. The 19-year-old took silver in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August. He stunned world champion, Canada's Marco Arop, to win the 800m Diamond League title in Eugene, USA. He is Kenya's future Olympic medalist.

Mary Moraa - Athletics

Moraa won the women's 800m world title in Budapest, beating Olympic and world Champion Athing Mu, per World Athletics. It was a rare gold for Kenya in the event. Things look promising for the 23-year-old ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Kelvin Kiptum -Athletics

Kiptum clocked an incredible time of 2:00:35, shaving a mind-boggling 34 seconds off the world record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon on October 8. The Chicago Marathon victory came six months after he stormed to victory in the 2023 London Marathon, where he clocked 2:01:25, the second-fastest marathon ever. He improved that by 50 seconds in the USA. The 23-year-old shattered Kipchoge's record (2:01:09), which was set in Berlin in 2022.

Faith Kipyegon - Athletics

Where do we even start with Kipyegon? It has been a historic year for the 29-year-old.

Her Diamond League season began in Doha, Qatar, on May 5. She clocked 3:58.57 to win the women's 1500m

Her next 1500m race was at the Golden Gala in Rome/Florence on June 2. She clocked a world record 3:49.11.

A week later, on June 9 in Paris, the 29-year-old shattered the 5000m world record, clocking 14:05.20, to beat world record holder Letesenbet Gidey.

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On July 21 in the Monaco Diamond, she smashed the one-mile world record, finishing in 4:07.64.

She then won the 1500m in the Diamond League final on September 16. Kipyegon also won two gold medals in the 1500m and 5000m at the World Athletics Championships.

The perfect definition of a Shujaa.

What Kiptum earned for his world record

Kiptum not only went home with a world record but also earned a handsome paycheque, Sports Brief also reported.

$560,000 in total prize money was on offer ($280,000 for men and women) plus $50,000 extra for any new records.

Therefore, Kiptum earned a total of $150,000 for his marathon success which is over 22 million in Kenyan shillings.