Britain’s four-time Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah has become the first athlete of Somali origin to be knighted.
Sir Mo Farah was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on Tuesday morning at Buckingham palace for his services to athletics.
“Congratulations Sir Mo Farah! Mo Farah is the most successful British track athlete in history, with 4 Olympic Golds & 6 World Championship Golds,” read a tweet from the official Royal Family Twitter handle on Tuesday.
Sir Mo, who was accompanied by his wife, quickly added his title to his social media handles before posting pictures after the event.
During an interview with the BBC, he expressed his excitement at having met the Queen and to discover that she knew who he was.
A knight, according to Wikipedia, is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a monarch or other political leader for service to the monarch or country, especially in a military capacity.
The ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace which serves as the London home for the reigning monarchs as well as their administrative headquarters.
The title was given during a ceremony much like that which happens in Kenya, whereby the President confers orders, decorations, and medals of Kenya such as Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS), Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS), Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (CGH) “in recognition of outstanding or distinguished services rendered to the nation in various capacities and responsibilities” according to the Kenya Gazette.
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