Kenya's Jelimo frontrunner for SOYA awards

Former Olympic 800m gold medallist and reigning world indoor champion Pamela Jelimo, is the front runner for the Comeback of the Year long at the Kenya's annual Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soyas). Jelimo, fondly known as Kapsabet Express when she rose to stardom four years ago in Beijing Olympics, is a hot favourite for the decoration that will be presented to athletes that defy debilitating circumstances to return to the top of their sport. She has been shortlisted alongside domestic rally driver, Ben Muchemi and former world cross junior champion, Philip Mosima for the category introduced this year. Jelimo was bogged down by a string of injuries after her Olympic triumph in Beijing and spent the following three years fighting to make a comeback with little success. However, early this year, her star started shining at local races after which she won the world indoors title and qualified for the Olympics where she reached the final and finished fourth behind Mariya Savinova of Russia, Caster Semenya of South Africa and Ekaterina Poistogova of Russia. Muchemi has twice defied cancer to make a comeback, driving in seven out of eight rallies this season. In 2010, he was declared motor sportsman of the year after returning from India where he underwent treatment for the terminal disease. Mosima, a former world junior cross country champion, was virtually a retired athlete after his long stay in Japan and was almost being forgotten. But he emerged from self-imposed semi-retirement to dominate this season's cross-country circuit, especially the Gusii Golden Series from where he was selected for the Chiba Ekiden only a few days ago. London bronze medallist Timothy Kitum, who collected 800m silver at the Barcelona World Juniors, heads the list of nominees for the Most Promising Sportsman of the Year decoration. Barcelona teammate and 3000m steeplechase champion, Conseslus Kipruto, who stopped the clock in a championship record of 8:06.10 and footballer Mike Orunga of Nairobi's Upper Hill Secondary School who has caught the eye with his dribbling skill and goal scoring ability, are the other contenders. Isaak Iqbal from Wajir High School closes the shortlist for this award after overcoming insurmountable odds from privileged and developed institutions and areas to lift badminton trophy during the national championships held in Mombasa. On the women's side, Neddy Atieno, the highly-talented Tartar Girls High School football captain, who also captained the national Under-20 team in the World Cup qualifiers and led her school team to third place in the East African Games in Burundi is hoping to spoil the party for athletes Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon, the world junior 1,500m champion and Mercy Chebwogen, who won 3,000m gold in the World Juniors in a personal best of 9:08.8.