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Pulse Sports highlights the Kenyan athletes whose talents, achievements and influence saw them conquer the world.
Kenya prides itself for producing some of the world’s top athletes who have gone on to achieve great things in their respective sports.
While the country is known for its athletics prowess, it has also produced some world-beating footballers who have played at the top level as well as rugby players.
Pulse Sports highlights the top seven athletes in Kenya who have conquered the world.
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Ranking the Top 7 Athletes in Kenya Who Have Conquered the World
Eliud Kipchoge
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Considered the greatest marathoner of all-time, Eliud Kipchoge has built a legacy that has seen him earn respect and admiration the world over and now even in the twilight years of his career, his influence has not waned.
Kipchoge has won 15 of the 21 marathons he has featured in and made history along the way, having broken world records twice and is also a two-time Olympics champion.
The 40-year-old also remains the only man to have run a marathon under two hours and his mantra “no human in limited” continues to inspire the world to embrace running no matter the circumstances.
Faith Kipyegon
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While Eliud Kipchoge is the Marathon GOAT, Faith Kipyegon is the undisputed female middle-distance runner of all-time and continues to make history while breaking records.
A three-time Olympics 1,500m champion, the only woman to have done that, and four-time world champion, Faith Kipyegon simply has no equals when it comes to her race.
The 31-year-old is also the world record holder over the distance as well as the mile and in recent years, she has shown that she is also good at 5,000m.
Faith Kipyegon, has earned respect and admiration the world over, inspiring women and young girls, and is set to attempt something no woman has ever done by running a mile under four minutes in the Breaking4 in Paris in June 2025.
Victor Wanyama
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Another Kenyan athlete who has conquered the world is football star Victor Wanyama who became and still is the only Kenyan to have played in the English Premier League following his stints at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.
A midfielder enforcer, known for his combativeness and physicality in the middle of the pack, Wanyama formed part of one of the best midfield partnerships in the Premier League when Tottenham challenged for the Premier League and reached the Champions League final, earning him accolades around the globe.
Wanyama also enjoys cult status at Scottish giants Celtic just the way he is loved by Southampton and Tottenham fans and has recently played in the MLS with FC Montreal and now in the Scottish second tier with Dunfermline Athletic.
McDonald Mariga
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While Victor Wanyama broke the glass ceiling, his elder brother McDonald Mariga should have been the first in the Premier League when he nearly joined big spenders Manchester City in 2010.
However, that failed move turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Mariga soon joined Italian giants Inter Milan and made history that season, winning the treble that included Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League, the only Kenyan to have lifted the ‘Big Ears’ trophy.
The midfielder also played for clubs like Parma in Italy and Real Sociedad in Spain and became a respected figure in Africa and around the world.
Humphrey Kayange
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Kenyan rugby legend Humphrey Kayange’s influence is so huge that he was among those who led the push to have sevens rugby incorporated into the Olympics and just recently, got appointed chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
Kanyange represented Kenya sevens and 15s for 15 years but it is the shorter version of the game where his influence was truly felt, leading Shujaa as captain to Sevens Rugby World Cup semi-finals in 2009 and 2013 as well as Singapore Sevens win in 2016.
“Tall”, as he is popularly known, was nominated Sevens Player of the Year in 2009 and became the first Kenyan to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in January 2023.
Collins Injera
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Just like his elder Humphrey Kayange, Kenya sevens try machine Collins Injera also conquered the world with his record-breaking performances for Shujaa.
Injera, just like Kayange represented Kenya in both sevens and 15s, but it is in the shorter version where his influence and achievements are legendary.
He made 424 appearances across 15 years and scored 279 tries – second only to England and Great Britain great Dan Norton – and 1,443 points on the circuit.
Injera played in 83 tournaments, the most by a Kenyan player and seventh highest overall, and in the 2008-09 scored the most tries, 42, and was nominated for Player of the Year Award.
He is also a two-time Sevens Rugby World Cup semi-finalist, two-time Olympian and played a key role in Shujaa’s win at Singapore Sevens in 2016.
David Rudisha
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David Rudisha is another Kenyan athlete who conquered the world thanks not just to his two world titles but his Olympics double, all in the 800m race.
He is considered the greatest 800m runner of all-time also due to the fact that he broke numerous records over the distance, including the current world record of 1:40.91, set at the 2012 London Olympics, which has proved hard for anyone to break.
Rudisha is also among just three Kenyan men to have won the World Athlete of the Year Awards, the others being marathon greats Eliud Kipchoge and the late Kelvin Kiptum.
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