Obiri’s appeal for IAAF award votes

World 5,000 metres champion Hellen Obiri with the trophy after being named StarTimes Sports Personality of the Month for August during a ceremony organised by StarTimes and the Kenya Sports Journalists Association in Ngong town on October 12, 2017. PHOTO | BRIAN YONGA |

What you need to know:

  • She is the second winner of the award after Deaflympian Simon Cherono won the inaugural award. Obiri received Sh100,000, a StarTimes 40 inch digital television and a trophy.
  • She beat stiff competition from 1,500m world champion Faith Chepng’etich, world marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui and Wiyeta Girls Secondary School goalkeeper Diana Tembesi to be crowned winner, as voted by sports journalists.

World 5,000 metres champion Hellen Obiri has appealed to Kenyans to use their huge online presence to get her votes for the 2017 IAAF World Athlete of the Year Awards.

Obiri and Elijah Manang’oi are the only Kenyans nominated for the global awards that feature 10 men and as many women nominees.

They were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of the IAAF on October 2.

Three men and three women finalists will be announced by the IAAF at the end of the voting process on October 16 with the winners announced at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2017 in Monaco on November 24.

“It has been a good season for me and I thank IAAF recognition but to me the nomination a success, I call upon the many Kenyans on Facebook and Twitter to support me so that I can go into the final round,” Obiri said Thursday as she received the StarTimes Sports Personality of the Month Award for August.

The award, that comes with a Sh100,000 cash award and flat screen TV, was presented to her in Ngong town Thursday by StarTimes marketing manager Japheth Akhulia and Sports Journalists Association of Kenya president Chris Mbaisi.

She beat stiff competition from 1,500m world champion Faith Chepng’etich, world marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui and Wiyeta Girls Secondary School goalkeeper Diana Tembesi to be crowned winner, as voted by sports journalists.

She is the second winner of the award after Deaflympian Simon Cherono won the inaugural award. Obiri received Sh100,000, a StarTimes 40 inch digital television and a trophy.