Kenya performed admirably at the 2024 Paris Olympics, securing a total of 11 medals, including four gold, two silver, and five bronze, which placed them as the top African nation and 16th overall in the medals table.
Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, and Emmanuel Wanyonyi contributed significantly to this success, with Chebet winning two gold medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m events, Kipyegon taking gold in the 1,500m and silver in the 5,000m, and Wanyonyi winning gold in the 800m.
Other medalists included Ronald Kwemoi, who secured a silver in the 5,000m, and bronze medalists Faith Cherotich (3,000m steeplechase), Abraham Kibiwot (3,000m steeplechase), Mary Moraa (800m), Benson Kipruto (marathon), and Hellen Obiri (marathon).
The USA topped the overall medal standings with 126 medals, followed by China and Japan.
Kenya’s success was commended by Team Kenya Chef de Mission, Shadrack Maluki, who praised the athletes’ dedication and stressed the importance of embracing technology in future competitions to complement the country’s raw talent.
“We have given it our all as a country. We need to thank our athletes for literally giving it all for their motherland,” Maluki, who is the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, said.
“It wasn’t an easy Olympics because what we saw was the application of technology by countries that embraced the same while we relied on raw talent.
“It’s a high time we embraced technology and, going forward, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, together with the government, will work together to ensure that whatever is needed to improve our sports is availed to our athletes. All in all, thank them for their commitment and dedication,” he added.
Newly appointed Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen also celebrated Kenya’s achievements. Murkomen emphasised the significance of the national anthem being played on the global stage and the success of the Kenya House initiative, which promoted the country’s cultural, trade, and sports interests.
“It has been a great experience for me. I’d like to congratulate Team Kenya for a successful show – we are the first in Africa and first in the athletics competition in the world,”
“The national anthem being played was a great marketing platform for our country.”
Looking ahead, Murkomen expressed the need for greater investment in the Kenya House concept for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, encouraging more private-sector participation, particularly from the Kenyan diaspora in the United States.