NAIROBI, Kenya, March 20 – World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum was inducted into the newly-established Talanta Hall of Fame in a ceremony presided over by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba on Wednesday in Nairobi.
Namwamba described the occasion as a special one, noting that the induction of Kiptum cements his status as a sports legend.
“This is a very special one because this is the very first formal induction ceremony. Kelvin becomes the first of our legends to be formally inducted to this Hall of Fame. It will stand here as a permanent heritage to his incredible contribution,” Namwamba said.
Kiptum — who passed away in a horrific road crash on February 11 along the Eldoret-Kaptagat road — brought global recognition to Kenya when he clocked a world record of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October last year.
His rise to the apex of road running was meteoric, beginning with fastest ever time run by a marathon debutant (2:01:53) at the Valencia Marathon in December 2022.
The 23-year-old followed up that feat with victory at the London Marathon in April last year, clocking what was then the second fastest time for the men’s marathon (2:01:25).
Speaking on the Talanta Hall of Fame, the CS said it is a space in which the great sportspersons of Kenya as well as artists will be immortalised for years to come.
“This is a space we have dedicated to the legends of our sports and creative economy. As you can see around, we have the greatest names that have written the history of Kenya as a top nation in the sport of athletics. From Kipchoge Keino to Wilson Kiprugut…the first Kenyan to win an Olympics medal,” he said.
Namwamba added: “We also have in this space some of the best creatives, Ngugi wa Thiong’o…one of the literary giants on the African continent. Eric Wainaina…we have them all going back to the immediate post-independence period. You’ll see images of people like Daudi Kabaka and Joe Kadenge here.”
During the ceremony, the ministry also gave Ksh 10 million to Kiptum’s family as well as that of his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, who perished with him in the road accident.
