In Miramas, France

The French City of Miramas Monday laid down the marker on how Kenya’s sporting heroes should be celebrated by rolling out the red carpet to appreciate Team Kenya’s success at the Paris Olympic Games.

Mayor Frederick Vigouroux also gave a medal and keys to the city to National Olympic Committee of Kenya president and distance running great Paul Tergat, making him an honorary citizen of Southern France city.

Five of the medallists present - Beatrice Chebet (double gold in 5,000 and 10,000 metres), Faith Kipyegon (gold in 1,500m, silver in 5,000m), Emmanuel Wanyonyi (gold, 800m), Ronald Kwemoi (silver, 5,000m) and Benson Kipruto (bronze, marathon) – were mobbed by city residents who sought their autographs and took selfies with the Olympic stars.

Other medallists, namely Hellen Obiri (bronze, marathon), Abraham Kibiwott (bronze, steeplechase), Faith Cherotich (bronze steeplechase) and Mary Moraa (bronze, 800m) were engaged elsewhere and didn’t make it to the ceremony.

It was a packed festival that saw the Team Kenya medallists engaged in a professional photo shoot and interactions with the media before they made their way to the local market square - Village de marque - where they were introduced to the public by Patrice Ouvrier-Buffet, head of the Team Kenya Miramas project.

There were fun activities for children aged as young as three including obstacle challenge competitions and mini-golf at the local stadium as they waited to greet Team Kenya.

“This is a special relationship between the City of Miramas and Team Kenya and it will grow even beyond the Paris Olympic Games,” Mayor Vigouroux said before presenting a medal and honorary city resident status to Tergat, a double Olympic silver medalist.

“We are in love with you, the people of Miramas… You French people love judo! You know Teddy Riner? That’s my man!,” Shadrack Maluki, Team Kenya’s head of delegation and former international judoka, said amid deafening applause from the hundreds of city residents in attendance.

French superstar Teddy Pierre-Marie Riner is the most decorated judo champion with 11 World Championship gold medals and five European titles under his belt alongside five Olympic Games gold medals, three of them individual and two team golds.

“Miramas family, on behalf of all the athletes we say a big thank your for your support and for being part of Team Kenya,” Kenya’s ever-smiling team captain Kipyegon said in her short speech.

Kenya’s ambassador to France, Betty Cherwon, appreciated the role Miramas played in making Team Kenya’s pre-Olympics training camp successful and sought to have a long-term partnership cemented.

Also present at the city ceremony were officials from the Kenyan embassy in Paris, Webuye West Member of Parliament and former national volleyball team captain Dan Wanyama, who heads the Parliamentary committee on sports, director of sports Jaxon Indakwa and various other Kenyan sports officials and coaches led by National Olympic Committee of Kenya secretary Francis Mutuku.

Miramas Athletic Club president Christophe Catoni and Bastien Gotas, president of the Municipal Sports Office, were also in attendance and the ceremony that marked the beginning into the legacy part of the Olympic Games. 

A tree will be planted in Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet County in October to mark the official start of the legacy project.

Miramas was the official Team Kenya pre-Olympics training base following a memorandum of understanding between the city, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and the Kenyan government signed last year.

After the festivities, the City of Miramas hosted Team Kenya to a sumptuous three-course dinner at the famous Olivador Restaurant in the city’s main shopping arcade.

Team Kenya’s delegation is expected to start arriving in batches from 1pm having left Miramas in the wee hours.

A reception to match, or better than, that thrown by the City of Miramas is expected.