Legendary Kenyan Rugby Player Humphrey Kayange has been inducted into the World Rugby's Hall of Fame, which recognizes rugby's greatest players in the world.
The announcement to induct the Kenya Sevens celebrated player and the representative of Kenyan athletes to the 2021 Olympic games was made by the selection committee on Wednesday, October 27.
The World Rugby Hall of Fame is a career award presented by Tudor which recognizes players with an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby throughout their careers, demonstrating rugby’s character-building values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect on and off the field.
Humphrey Kayange and his brother Collins Injera were a force in the Kenyan HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series team that competed between 2004-2016. The exceptional team was feared for its skills, strength, and athleticism.
The decorated rugby player appeared at two Commonwealth Games, in 2010 and 2014, and was a member of the team that won Kenya’s first-ever World Series Cup title in Singapore in 2016.
Kayange finished his career on the World Series as Kenya’s third-highest points scorer in Rugby Sevens, with 799 points and 159 tries. Among his exceptional records is scoring four tries in 12 tests as a hard-running center within 15 seconds.
The 39-year-old had a successful career and finally bowed out during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In 2021, Kayange was elected to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission and as an IOC member.
Kayange has been inducted alongside Osea Kolinisau (Fiji), Huriana Manuel-Carpenter (New Zealand), Cheryl McAfee (Australia), Will Carling (England), and Jim Telfer (Scotland).
When making the announcement, World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont lauded the inductees stating that they did not only leave a legacy in the field of play but also advanced the sport.
“On behalf of World Rugby, I would like to congratulate our six Hall of Fame inductees, who did not just make their mark on the field of play, but who has played a significant role in advancing the sport,' he stated.
Kayange joins the list of other legendary Kenyan athletes including Eliud Kipchoge who was recently named the best male athlete of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after becoming the third man to win back-to-back gold medals in the Olympic marathon.
