Kenyan Olympian Claims Gold, Wins Electricity for Her Village

A medal isn’t the only reward Olympic athletes receive for proving their athletic superiority. Many countries give winning athletes hefty cash prizes, and some go so far as to buy their hometown heroes new houses and luxury cars. (That’s not even counting the corporate gifts, which can include unlimited sausages and other amazing swag.)

But one of the Kenyan athletes who earned gold in Rio had a far simpler request, as India Today reports. Faith Kipyegon, the 22-year-old runner who won the 1500-meter women’s race at the Olympics just a few weeks ago, comes from a village that hasn’t had electricity since it was settled in the 1980s. Her hometown friends and family in Ndabibit couldn’t even watch her race.

After her win, Kipyegon’s father, Samuel Kipyegon, made a direct plea to the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, in the African paper the Daily Nation. He asked for electricity for the village to allow him to watch his daughter race. The next day, his request was granted, and workers began installing power lines to the whole area. Nine days later, the village was completely wired. While the proud papa may not have a TV yet, Samsung has promised to gift him a set soon, giving Kipyegon and his family the ability to watch Faith's next big win—with the lights on.

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