Glamour club: Best sportspersons for 2018 parade Soya gala trophies at Fort Jesus

Lawrence Karanja celebrates winning the community hero award during the 15th edition of Soya awards held at Fort Jesus in Mombasa on January 11, 2019. Photo/Stafford Ondego/www.sportpicha.com

It was all glitz as the historic Fort Jesus played host to 15th edition of the Safaricom Soya fete graced by Ivorian track star Marie-Josee Ta Lou.

Robin Toskin

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Overall Sports personality of the year

Winner: Eliud Kipchoge

Age:

Specialty: Marathon

Achievement

Won London Marathon in 2:04. 17 on April 22

Set World Record at 2:01:39 in Berlin Marathon on September 16, 2018 shaving one minute and 18 seconds from previous record held by Dennis Kimeto.

On his way to the WR and his third Berlin Marathon title, Kipchoge also broke the 30km World Record setting new times of 1:26:45.

This is the second time he is winning this award having also done so in 2016

Sportsman of the Year

Winner: Eliud Kipchoge

Specialty: Marathon

Achievement

Won London Marathon in 2:04. 17 on April 22

Set World Record at 2:01:39 in Berlin Marathon on September 16, 2018 shaving one minute and 18 seconds from previous record held by Dennis Kimeto.

On his way to the WR and his third Berlin Marathon title, Kipchoge also broke the 30km World Record setting new times of 1:26:45.

This is the second time he is winning this award having also done so in 2016

SOYA 2018 World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge after being named the 2018 Sportsman of the Year during the 15th edition of Soya awards held at Fort Jesus in Mombasa on January 11, 2019. Photo/Stafford Ondego/www.sportpicha.com

Sportswoman of the year

Winner: Beatrice Chepkoech

Age:

Specialty: 3,000mSC

Achievement

Silver in 1,500m at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in personal best of 4:03.09

Gold at Africa Athletics championship in record time of 8:59.88 on August 5 in Asaba, Nigeria.

Won four of her five Diamond League races in 2018 with her victory in Monaco on July 20 producing a world record time of 8:44.32 (became first woman to run under 8 minute and 50 seconds).  She shattered Bahrain Ruth Jebet’s previous record of 8:52.78 by massive nine seconds.

Sportsman living with a disability

Winner: Dickson Onduari

Age:

Specialty:

Achievement

Second highest top scorer at the 2018 World Deaf Handball Championship with 36 goals, four short of the highest scorer Murat Chomaev of Russia.

Sportswoman living with a disability

Winner: Jane Ndenga

Age:

Specialty: Wheelchair tennis

Won gold in both singles at the ITF World Team Cup Africa qualifier in February in Nairobi.

That saw her qualify for the World Team Cup held in June-July in the Netherlands.

Won gold in doubles and reached singles semi-finals at ITF Nairobi Open Futures in February.

Won gold in doubles and reached semis in singles at the Britam Kenya Open in September.

Silver medals in singles and doubles respectively at ITF Dan Devan Wheelchair Tennis Futures in Ghana and Nigeria Wheelchair Open all in October.

Jane Ndegwa celebrates with her trophy for the woman leaving with disability of the year during the 15th edition of Soya awards held at Fort Jesus in Mombasa on January 11, 2019. Photo/Stafford Ondego/www.sportpicha.com

Elected regional representative at the ITF World Wheelchair Players’ Council in July.

Most Promising boy

Winner: Edward Zakayo

Age: 17 years

Specialty:

The Form Two student at Kapsait High school won 5000m Under-20 Kenyan trials

Bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia

Won trials and later World 3000m silver at the World Under-18

Won 5,000m Gold at the World Under-20 title in Tempere, Finland at the expense of Ethiopian Selemon Barega.

Won the Africa 5000m title in Asaba, Nigeria, which saw him qualify for the World Cup also known as IAAF Continental Cup where he finished fifth.

Most Promising girl

Winner: Angela Okutoyi

Age:

Specialty: Tennis

Achievement:

Won the ITF under-18 tournament in Burundi which saw her join the ITF World Tour team that enabled her tour France German, Belgium and Czech Republic for five weeks between July and August 2018.

Won the ITF/CAT Africa under -14 championships title in Algiers in August, beating home favorite Algerian Bouchra Mebarki 4-6,6-0,6-1 to clinch the title.

Beat top seeded Shufaa Changawa, the 2011, 2014 and 2016 champion to win this year’s Kenya Open Championship at Nairobi club.

Made history as the first Kenya to reach the final of the Africa Cup on Nations in November in Botswana losing in straight sets (6-1,6-3) to top seeded Bechri Chiraz from Tunisia to settle for Silver.

Federation of the year

Winner: Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA)

Mohamed Kheri displays the Hall of Fame trophy awarded at the 15th edition of Soya awards held at Fort Jesus in Mombasa on January 11, 2019. Stafford Ondego/www.sportpicha.com

Achievements

Kenya successfully retained the East Africa regional games title in Rwanda

Ensured Kenya joined the Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association body and also the World Secondary Schools Sports Association guaranteeing participation in international events starting 2019.

Oversaw the smooth running of the 2018 schools events even after the increase of disciplines in Term One and Term Two games following the scrapping off of Term Two A Games.

Renewed five years sponsorship for the national Term One Games and East Africa games with key partner Brookside Dairy Limited. Hosted the Copa Africa in Nakuru in December.

Team of the Year Men

Winner: Harambee Stars (National football team)

Specialty: Football

Achievements

Broke 15-year jinx to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Beat illustrious Black Stars of Ghana 1-0 at Kasarani, held Ethiopia 0-0 away before handing them a 3-0 beating in Nairobi.

Of 8 matches played in 2018, Harambee Stars won 5 drew 1 and lost 2

Apart from AFCON Qualifiers, they won 2-1 against New Zealand, 4-1 against Chinese Taipei, Malawi 1-0 in friendly matches while losing 3-0 and 2-0 to India.

Team of the Year Women

Winner: Telkom Kenya

Specialty: Hockey

Achievement

Reclaimed Africa title following a 2-0 win over perennial rivals and 2017 winners Ghana Revenue Authority.

Bagged a record 21st Kenya Hockey Premier League title on an unbeaten run.

They also won this SOYA title in 2014.

Coach of the Year

Winner: Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua

Specialty: Rugby

Achievement

Guided Kenya Lionesses to their first ever Africa 7s title.

Led the Kenya girls to lifting the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens trophy in Gaborone, Botswana in May with a 29-7 win over Uganda in the final.

Steered Lionesses to the Cup semi-finals of the Women’s World Series Qualifiers in Hong Kong in

April where Kenya beat South Africa for the first time.

Kenya Lionesses finished sixth at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia also in April.

Community Hero

Winner: Lawrence Karanja

Achievements

An ITF level II coach

Has run successfully the School Tennis Initiative (STI) tennis training program in Mombasa for sixteen years.

The program targets public schools by introducing youngsters to the sport and has produced some of the country’s top players like the Changawa brothers.

Started the Starfish wheelchair tennis club in 2013 at Mvita Tennis Club.

Currently based at KPA Mbaraki Sports Club, the club attends to players who are living with disability, two of them top men and women players in the country.

Soya Hall of Fame

Mohamed Kheri

Specialty: Football

Athletics legend Rose Tata-Muya celebrates receiving community hero runners-up award during the 15th edition of Soya awards held at Fort Jesus in Mombasa on January 11, 2019. Photo/Stafford Ondego/www.sportpicha.com

Achievements

Born in Mombasa, Kheri trained in Germany as a coach, he has dedicated all his life to football.

Coached the precursor on Bandari between 1968 to 1970 and later in early 80s where led Bandari to the Moi Golden Cup only to lose 1-0 to Gor Mahia.

He also handled the defunct Kenatco in the Kenyan topflight league.

Credited for unearthing such stars of yesteryears as John Arieno ‘Papa’ Abbas’’Khamis ‘’ Magongo, Douglas Mutua, George Onyango, Ben Oloo and Issa Suleiman among others

Led Harambee Stars to the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations and almost guided Kenya to the 1990 World Cup only to lose to Egypt at the last hurdle as the Pharaohs proceeded to Italia 90.

Guided Kenya to a bronze medal at the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in 1988.

Coached Gor Mahia in 1989 as Gor Mahia.

Soya Hall of Fame

Rose Tata-Muya

Specialty: Athletics

Achievements

All her life has been about athletics representing Kenya as a 14-year-old at the 1974 Commonwealth Games, where she achieved two 8th places finishes in the 800m race and as a part of the Kenyan 4×400 metres relay team.

Won two silver medals from the 1979 African Championships (400 m hurdles and 800 m)

400 m hurdles bronze medalist at 1982 African Championships

First Kenyan woman to compete at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland

400m hurdles silver at 1987 All-Africa Games in Nairobi

Competed at the 1988 Summer Olympicses heats

Competed at the 1990 Commonwealth games

She still holds the Kenyan 400 metres hurdles record

After retirement, she still coaches young and under-privileged athletes