President William Ruto (centre), Kenya's 5000M champion Faith Kipyegon (left), Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and Sports CS Ababu Namwamba at State House, Nairobi. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The meeting was attended by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei, and other guests.

Also present was Commonwealth and Africa's 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala.

President Ruto reiterated the government's commitment to recognising and appreciating the efforts of Kenyan athletes in international competitions.

Furthermore, he announced that sportsmen and women who consistently demonstrate outstanding performance will be granted diplomatic passports and national honors as a mark of distinction.

"I want the ministry to finalize the package of what kind of reward scheme is going to accompany our sportsmen and women, our creative and arts and I will be launching the scheme soon so that our athletes and those in the arts can know how the government of Kenya is going to stand with them when they shine," he said.

President William Ruto (left), double world record holder Faith Kipyegon and other attendees at State House, Nairobi. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Faith Kipyegon achieved her world-breaking feats by setting new records in the women's 5000m and 1500m races.
On June 9, at the Paris Diamond League, she achieved a time of 14:05:20 in the 5000m, becoming the first Kenyan woman to hold the world record in that category.

Kipyegon exhibited remarkable determination as she surpassed the previous record holder, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia, with 600m remaining in the race.

Just a week earlier, on June 2, Kipyegon broke the world record in the 1500m race in Florence, clocking a time of 3:49.11.

She later revealed that her primary objective was to give her best performance, making her accomplishments even more remarkable.