Caroline Nyaga opens up on how Faith Kipyegon motivated her to win gold at the African championships

Caroline Nyaga, the 10,000 metres African champion, has opened up on how a subtle note from 1500 metres Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon motivated her to win the women's final at the recently concluded African Championships held in Mauritius last week.

Nyaga won gold in the 10,000m race after clocking 32:12.61 just a day after winning the bronze medal in the 5,000m race.

Speaking on Citizen TV's JKLive show on Wednesday, Nyaga chronicled how Kipyegon slipped a letter of endearment to her trainer, which was delivered to her just moments before she stepped on the track.

"Kipyegon wrote a few words on a piece of paper which she gave to my trainer who passed it on to me. Her message was that I give it my all in the race and try to win a medal for Kenya. This is why I ran the race like a mad man," Nyaga said.

Kipyegon and Nyaga had not interacted on a personal level prior to the championship but their paths crossed when the latter attempted to persuade some of her colleagues to help her with some running shoes.

Nyaga had gone to the tournament without any proper running shoes as her trainers were allegedly in poor condition.

"After coming in second in the 5,000 metre trials in Nairobi, I went to Mauritius but the problem is I didn't have running shoes. Mine were worn out so my coach decided to talk to Kipyegon's coach who informed the Olympic champion of my predicament," she said.

"Kipyegon was kind enough to give me running shoes which I used in the race."

Nyaga went on to say that she wasn't expecting to even go to the Mauritius race in the first place because she was initially not among the two finalists who had qualified to represent the National Police Service (NPS) at the tournament.

She would only fill the slot after one of the participants pulled out of the race.