January 22, (THEWILL) — Former marathon world record holder, Brigid Kosgei, has confirmed she will represent Turkey at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after changing her nationality. The 31-year-old Kenyan, who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics, told AFP on Thursday that four other Kenyan athletes will also compete for Turkey.
Ronald Kwemoi, who claimed silver at the Paris Games, is among those making the switch alongside Catherine Amanang’ole, Brian Kibor and Nelvin Jepkemboi. Kosgei said the citizenship process began in 2024, and she is happy with her decision. The Olympic Charter requires athletes to wait three years after representing one country before competing for another.
Kosgei held the world record from October 2019 to September 2023 with a time of 2:14:04 in a mixed-gender race. Her victories include major marathons in London, Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo. She reiterated that the decision was entirely personal and she looks forward to competing under the Turkish flag once the allegiance process is complete.
Barnaba Korir, a member of the Kenyan Athletics Federation’s executive committee, said the federation accepts such decisions. He noted Kenya has many runners and cannot accommodate all of them, adding that those seeking opportunities abroad are welcome, provided they follow regulations. He said these athletes will still invest in Kenya.
Kenya has a history of top athletes switching nationalities. Bernard Lagat won bronze and silver for Kenya at the Sydney and Athens Olympics before representing the United States, where he became a double world champion in 2007. Saif Saaeed Shaheen, originally Kenyan, won world steeplechase titles for Qatar in 2003 and 2005. Kenya finished second overall at the last World Championships in Tokyo with 11 medals, including seven golds.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
