NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18 – Kenya’s tennis teen sensation Angela Okutoyi continues making history and on Thursday became the first ever to win the LG/Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) Sports Personality of the Month award three times.
Okutoyi waded through tough competition that included African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala, double World Champion Faith Kipyegon and recently crowned 800m world champion Emmanuel Korir.
Other nominees were rugby star Dennis Abukuse -instrumental in Menengai Oilers’ inaugural National Sevens Circuit victory, Helen Wawira who bagged gold at the 2022 World Para Powerlifting American Open Championship and Winnie Kaburo Muthoni who won the Africa Youth Chess Championship under-8 title in Lusaka, Zambia.
Okutoyi who became the first ever Kenyan to win a grandslam title when she clinched the double’s category in Wimbledon last month won the coveted crown in January last year and this January as well following her performance in the Australian Open.
And now, she has followed up those two recognitions with a third title for July.
“I feel very happy and proud to have won this award three times. It is not something easy and I want to thank everyone for their recognition. I am really pleased and despite having been here before, it is a new feeling every time,” Okutoyi told Capital Sport.
She added; “I want to dedicate this to Tennis Kenya, my coaches, my family and more so my grandmother who has been there through thick and thin.”
Okutoyi, 18, partnered Netherland’s Rose Marie Nijkamp to beat Canadian pair of Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko 3-6, 6-4, 11-9.
“I did not do well in the singles so I decided to give my everything in the doubles and we ended up winning. It was a great achievement for me to be honest and yes, I still feel happy with the achievement and setting history. I am happy that I have shown people that they can succeed in other sports as well,” she said.
In winning the July award, Okutoyi received a trophy engraved to her name and an LG Nanocell TV worth Sh120,000.
Other LG awards winners this year include junior WRC3 contender McRae Kimathi (February), Japan’s Nagoya Marathon winner Ruth Chepng’etich (March), Boston Marathon men’s winner Evans Chebet (April), national women’s volleyball team star Sharon Chepchumba (May) and WRC3 Safari Rally winner Maxine Wahome (June).
“We are happy to see Angela becoming the first ever to win this award three times. As LG we are pleased when we see a variety of sports winning and not just athletics and football. We are pleased to be continuously supporting our sportsmen and women continue achieve their dreams,” said LG Electronics Marketing Director Changhyun Kim.
SJAK boss Chris Mbaisi said; “It is not always in athletics or football that we see success. We are glad as SJAK to see other sports get into this and more so we are also glad to see more women winning. Since we started, we have awarded more women than men.”
