BBC honors Kenyan-Romanian athlete Joan Chelimo Melly

Joan Chelimo Melly is known for her advocay against GBV on female athletes. [Source:BBC]

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has honored a Kenyan-born Romanian athlete known for advocating against gender-based violence.

Joan Chelimo Melly, a Kenyan-Romanian athlete, has been featured in BBC 100 Women List for 2024 after the broadcasting house revealed its list of inspiring and influential women from around the world.

The 100 women list was published on Tuesday, December 3.

Olympian runner Joan Chelimo co-founded Tirop’s Angels, an organisation of Kenyan athletes formed after the killing of a fellow runner to advocate against gender-based violence.

“From facing deadly conflicts and humanitarian crises in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan, to witnessing the polarisation in societies that followed a record number of elections around the world, women have had to dig deep and find new levels of resilience,” BBC announcement read in part.

“BBC 100 Women acknowledges the toll this year has taken on women by celebrating those who – through their resilience – are pushing for change, as the world changes around them. The list also remains committed to exploring the impact of the climate emergency, highlighting climate pioneers who work to help their communities tackle its impacts.”

Chelimo is celebrated for her achievements in long-distance running, she won silver at the European Championships half marathon this year.

Beyond sport, she is a survivor of gender-based violence and seeks to use her personal experience to highlight the threats that athletes often face.

"I believe that real change begins when we decide that our pain is not the end of our story, but the beginning of something greater." Chelimo says.

Among the listed women are stranded astronaut Sunita Williams, rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot, actress Sharon Stone, Olympic athletes Rebeca Andrade and Allyson Felix, singer Raye, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, visual artist Tracey Emin, climate campaigner Adenike Oladosu and writer Cristina Rivera Garza. 

According to the British media outlet, the theme of the 2024 list is ‘resilience’.

“BBC 100 Women acknowledges the toll this year has taken on women around the world by celebrating those who – through their resilience – are forging new lives and changing futures, as the world changes around them.”

BBC says it has also highlighted women who are working to tackle the very real impact of climate change across the globe. Some of these climate pioneers include forest campaigner Nejla Işık (Turkey), artist and climate advocate Inna Modja (Mali), farmer and trainer Naomi Chanda (Zambia) and chemical biologist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza (Peru).