Milan marathon winner Titus Ekiru named Sports Personality of the month of May – KBC

2021 Milan Marathon winner Titus Ekiru has been named   LG  Sports personality for the month of May by the  Sports Journalists Association of Kenya, SJAK.

The award comes after Ekiru won the Milan Marathon for a second time in May in a course record and world leading time of 2:02:57.

This time improved the course record he set in 2019 of 2:04:46 by 1 minute 49 seconds, as he became the joint fifth fastest marathoner of all time.

His winning time went into the records as the fastest time run in a marathon in May, and an Italian all-comers record.

“I Would like to thank LG/SJAK for this award. Winning the Milan Marathon and equalling the Dennis Kimeto’s former world record against a strong field was a great source of joy for me, and this award is a pleasant and humbling surprise as I get back to my training programme. I am now motivated to push for a better time and hopefully the world record too,” said Ekiru.

“We are indeed honored to be supporting Kenyan athletes and sportsmen and women during these tough times as part of our commitment to promoting the development of sports in this country,” LG Electronics East Africa Managing Director Sa Nyoung Kim said.

LG Electronics corporate communications manager Maureen Kemunto expressed  the company’s determination to award excellence in sports.

‘’Our partnership with SJAK goes a long way in bolstering athletes talent and empowering them to be the backbone of sports in the country. Being an Olympic year, sports personalities are giving their all to uphold higher standards hence the need to motivate their efforts’’,Kemunto said.

Ekiru won the award against strong challenge from 2019 U20 World Cross Country Champion Beatrice Chebet who won the Doha Diamond League meeting in a personal best and world leading time of 8:2749 seconds.

Ekiru piped to the award: Elias Ngeny who clocked a world leading time of the 1 minute 43.84 seconds at the Athletics Kenya Pre-Trials at the Nyayo National stadium, weightlifter Winny Langat who took silver in the women’s 59kg division at the African Championships in Nairobi, and boxer Nick Okoth who won a bronze at the Konstan Korotkov Boxing Championships in Russia.

Other Sports men and women who have received the award include: Angela Okutoyi,  basketball player Tylor Okari Ongwae  and boxer Elly Ajowi.