Kenya's legendary marathoner Eliud Kipchoge has been awarded an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters by the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The famous athlete, who has benefited society through humanitarian and philanthropic endeavors, was honored on Friday, December 1, at the university's 41st commencement ceremony.
Fifty doctoral degrees, 3,674 bachelor's degree certificates, 145 postgraduate diploma certificates, 513 diploma certificates, 392 master's degree certificates, and 145 postgraduate diploma certificates were awarded to 4775 candidates at the 2023 graduation ceremony.
One of the four doctorate honors awarded to people who have significantly impacted society without necessarily attending classes or completing a thesis is the Doctor of Human Letters (L.H.D.).
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Kipchoge received recognition for his contributions to society and his extraordinary athletic accomplishments.
He became the first person to complete a marathon in under two hours in 2019 by breaking the world record in Vienna, leading to the expression "no human is limited."
In the 5000 meters, Kipchoge won the world championship in 2003. He also took home the bronze in Athens, Greece, in 2004 and the silver in Beijing, China, in 2008.
In 2016, he became the first person to win the London Marathon. In the same year, he won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
He won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were rescheduled for 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kipchoge has also won gold in the 2010 Diamond League 5000-meter event, four first places (three in 5000 meters and one in 3000 meters) in the Golden League, and the U20 Cross Country World Championship (Lausanne, Switzerland, 2003).
In 2018 and 2019, World Athletics named Kipchoge Athlete of the Year.
In 2021, he established the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation to promote early childhood education accessibility and environmental preservation.
