Brigid Kosgei on going for Gold, turning Dreams into reality
Tucked between the famous Kerio Valley and Cherangani Hills is Kapsowar town, the home of Kenyan marathon queen Brigid Kosgei.
Brigid’s humble background challenged her to start thinking hard on how to make it in life from a very tender age. At 17, Brigid set out joining other women of her age, training hard on the rough Cherangani fields while believing that one day she would get a chance to run on a world stage.
Full of dreams, ambition and willpower, Brigid Kosgei would go on to finish second in eight of her first nine marathons of her athletics career.
From the highways of Lisbon, Portugal, to Bogota to Copenhagen to Chicago in the United States of America, Brigid graced these marathon cruising into impressive personal best times that saw her firmly believe in her dreams while yearning for more.
From recording 2:24:45 in the 2016 Lisbon Marathon Brigid went on to finish at 2:20:22 in the Chicago Marathon a year later.
Through hard training and the spirit of a champion, Brigid’s moment of glory came in 2019 when the then 25-year-old became the youngest woman in the world to win the prestigious London Marathon at 2:18:20.
Notably, she also won Gold at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. In 2020, Brigid went on to defend her title by winning the rescheduled London Marathon at 2:18:58.
Early last year, Brigid Kosgei was picked to lead the country’s women marathon team for the summer Olympics that were set to go down in Tokyo, Japan. When Covid-19 pandemic struck, however, the organizers postponed the event to July this year.
Brigid’s story is one of focus, turning dreams into reality besides the unyielding belief that it is possible.
It is Brigid’s uncompromising attitude of turning dreams into realities that has endeared her to Stanbic Bank seeing the lender nominate her to become the face of its new #ItCanBe new growth-focused campaign.
“I am happy and ready to work with Stanbic Bank in this inspiring yet challenging It Can Be campaign,” Brigid said at her unveiling ceremony.
The bank plans to partner with women in sports by enhancing its DADA banking service through building relationships with women in sports and helping them foster financially fulfilling lives beyond sport. The initiative follows the lender’s success in its partnership with the rugby fraternity in Kenya.
And just like Brigid’s stellar performances on the marathon track, Stanbic Bank plans to become a purpose-driven financial services firm that gives hope, believes in its customers’ business aspirations – especially youth and women-owned enterprises – while believing that it can be.
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“Reality starts from dreams. We are going to help our customers turn dreams into reality. We’ll be fulfilling dreams because it can be,” said Stanbic Chief Executive Charles Mudiwa.
The lender says it looks forward to working with businesses in agriculture, health, housing as well as in the manufacturing sectors with particular focus on the small, micro, and medium enterprises.
