Evans Chebet crowned Sports Personality for the month of April

Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet has been crowned the Sports Personality for the month of April. 

His victory of 2:6.51 seconds gave him his first ever marathon major title, the prestigious Boston title beating a strong field that had compatriots Lawrence Cherono and defending champion Benson Kipruto.  

In winning the Boston showpiece, the star athlete finally made his presence felt four years after he had retired at the 29km mark of the 2018 event. 

An indefatigable Chebet pushed away from the leading pack after 30km, maintaining the lead to the very end. 

"It was such a great feeling to go to Boston and win especially after failing to finish in 2018. I have been running marathons for a while and this recognition just goes to motivate me to do better in my next race," said a visibly elated Chebet. 

Chebet beat a strong field of athletes nominated for the April award including Boston Marathon Women’s winner Peres Jepchirchir who became the first athlete to claim an Olympic gold along with the Boston and New York titles.

Chebet, Jepchichir rule in Boston Marathon

Also on the list of nominees was Judith Cheptum and rally star Karan Patel who won the third round of the 2022 FIA African Rally Championship (Equator Rally) from start to finish. 

Jeptum won the Paris Marathon in definitive fashion on Sunday, 3 April 2022, smashing the previous course record of 2:20:55 which was set by Purity Rionoripo in 2017.

Nominated alongside Chebet was Maurine Chepkemoi who destroyed the course record at the 75th edition of the Enschede marathon that was held on Sunday (May 24) in Enschede, Netherlands.

The five gold medalists for the Kenya team Hit Squad at the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championship in Congo were also nominated for the April award. They were Light welterweight Teresia Wanjiru, Welterweight Everlyne Akinyi,, Light heavyweight Elizabeth Andiego, Flyweight David Karanja and Bantamweight Shaffi Bakari Hassan.

Nairobi by LG .Electronics East Africa Managing Director Sa Nyoung Kim congratulated Chebet for putting Kenya on the world map during the Boston Marathon extravaganza.

"As title sponsors of this award, we take this opportunity to congratulate Chebet for his stellar performance in Boston. On the wider aspect, LG Electronics is truly grateful to have had the opportunity to support SJAK and top tier sports personalities over the past 8 years," Kim offered. 

 SJAK President Chris Mbaisi thanked LG for their unswerving support saying the partnership has gone a long way in rewarding excellence.

"For eight years LG has demonstrated their support for sports, both on and off the pitch. And together we share an ambition of creating opportunities at all levels and ensuring every aspiring athlete enjoys an enabling environment. We look forward to further developing our relationship over the coming years."