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A Kenyan runner championing women's rights

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January 23, 2026

Joan Chelimo is a world-class runner. But like some other top Kenyan athletes, she has also suffered gender-based violence. Now she is fighting the problem.

Joan Chelimo is fighting gender-based violence and femicide – and inspiring girls and women in Kenya. The top international runner suffered domestic abuse herself. Two of her fellow athletes and friends were killed by their partners. Chelimo helped co-found the organization Tirop's Angels to raise awareness about the issue. Her work in schools aims to encourage more openness about the problem in elite sport and society as a whole and help prevent it in the first place. 

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