Over the years, Kenyan athletes have been emerging as dominate forces in the long-distance domain. With some of the prominent names like Mary Moraa and Faith Kipyegon featuring a long list of achievements, both on and off the field, Kenyan athletes are paving a path for a new generation of athletes to follow. Most of their stories are a strife to reach the pinnacle of success, from rags to riches etc and whatnot. They also have solid messiahs guiding them at every time.

Along the same lines, a 1500m World record holder is on the same road, which was once traversed by her paragon, Eliud Kipchoge. Interestingly, the track and field star, has been making waves all across the internet and recently even sat down for a tête-à-tête with World Athletics to spill some tea as to who her role model in her sport was and divulged reasons for it.

Faith Kipyegon is all praises for Kipchoge’s glowing presence

Recently, Faith Kipyegon sat with the team of World Athletics to play on the cards. To share a glimpse of the game, World Athletics took to their official website and posted the video along with the headline ” Faith Kipyegon plays On The Cards The greatest 1500m runner of all time talks about world records, motherhood and her future plans in the sport.“

Amidst the game, Kipyegon was asked about her inspiration and her role model. In response to this question, Kipyegon replied with Eliud Kipchoge’s name. She said, “And at the moment, it’s Eliud Kipchoge. a little bit juggling because I’m training with him, looking forward to running marathons as well in the future, and see what is possible.“

While Kipyegon is a two-time Olympic medalist and a world silver medalist, Eliud also features a similar record. Apart from being a two time Olympic medalist, and a world silver medalist, Eliud is also the first man across the globe to complete 42.1km in just two hours. Even though Kipyegon looks at Eliud as an inspiration, but Eliud wasn’t always Kipyegon’s de facto messiah.

She hearkens back to her other track bigwigs

When Kipyegon was in the initial days of her career, she found her role model in Vivian Jepkemei Cheruiyot. While reminiscing, she said, “When I saw her, it inspired me a lot. When I saw her many years ago when she was running in Diane, I was still junior by then; I was still a little girl, small girl, looking for the future.”

Read More: WA Medalist Tigist Ketema Wins Gold Alongside Dubai Marathon Record on Debut

She added, “So, my role model has been Vivian, and I have been looking after what she does.“ Just like the world distance champion Kipyegon, her inspiration and earlier role model, Vivian Jepkemei Cheruiyot, has been a dominant sprinter. Cheruiyot features a stellar resume with astonishing titles of being an Olympic champion, four times world champion, and two times silver Olympic medalist. How far will Kipyegon and Kipchoge traverse in the cutthroat track and field world? Time will tell.

Also Read: Waiting for That”: Noah Lyles Speaks About How His Coach’s Faith Helped His Career