Athletics

Javelin icon Julius Yego has sent a soulful message to fellow athletes even as the doping malady continues to plunge Athletics in Kenya.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsYego, who captained Team Kenya at the 2025 World Championships, joins leading voices in the industry in condemning the vice, highlighting its effects on the country’s reputation.The 2015 Beijing World Championships gold medalist took to his social media handles following yet another high-profile ban, this time of reigning World Championships marathon winner Peres Jepchirchir.Former Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop announces plans to manufacture running shoes“Over the recent past, we have had a serious spike in cases of doping among our fellow athletes, be it seniors/elite and juniors. This has caused serious injury to the sport and the image of our great country, Kenya,” reads the opening part of Yego’s message.The 37-year-old reminded his colleagues of the glory days that saw him fall in love with the sport and..

Sheila Chepkirui and Rodrigue Kwizera stormed up the world half marathon all-time lists with respective 1:03:51 and 58:03 wins at the Valencia half marathon on Sunday, 25 October.Chepkirui’s world-leading performance saw her become the equal fifth-fastest women’s half marathon runner in history, while Kwizera’s Spanish record moved him to eighth on the men’s world all-time list.Download our MozzartSport App For More NewsKenya’s Chepkirui (not the Nagoya Marathon 2026 winner) broke away with her Kenyan compatriots Diana Wanza and Daisilah Jerono and the trio reached the 15-kilometre mark in 45:31, 24 seconds ahead of their rivals.Jerono was dropped before Chepkirui and Wanza reached 20km in 1:00:30, seven seconds ahead of their compatriot.Chepkirui kicked but Wanza chased hard and they were separated by a single second at the finish line, Chepkirui winning in 1:03:51 and Wanza securing the runner-up spot in 1:03:52, both personal bests (PBs) that moved them to fifth and sixth on the wor..

Athletics Integrity Unit has provisionally suspended reigning world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir after an out-of-competition sample collected in Kenya returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO (erythropoietin), which boosts the production ⁠of red blood cells.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe 2021 Olympic marathon champion failed a sample taken before her recent Sydney Marathon win.Peres, 33, is one of the most decorated marathoners of this generation, holding a marathon personal best of 2:14:43 from Valencia in 2025, and is currently ranked ninth on the all-time list.##NAJAVA_MECA_10055733##Her major wins include gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and a world title from the same city in 2025. She is also a four-time World Marathon Major winner, having triumphed in New York (2021), Boston (2022), London (2024), and most recently in Sydney (2026).Her 2:16:16 to win the 2024 London Marathon was the women’s-only world record at the time.Jepchirchir dominated the w..

Sabastian Sawe and Agnes Ngetich’s world record-breaking moments have been nominated for a new fan-powered award, introduced by World Athletics as part of its annual award ceremony.Sawe makes the 18-nominee shortlist for breaking two hours with a 1:59:30 marathon record in London back in April, while Ngetich makes the list for her women-only world record of 1:05:15 for world half marathon gold.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more news##NAJAVA_MECA_10036273##The Kenyan shaved 65 seconds off the previous marathon world record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023, becoming the first athlete to run a legal sub-two-hour marathon, surpassing Eliud Kipchoge’s 1:59:41 exhibition performance from 2019.Ngetich, on her part, set a time of 1:05:15 on 20 September at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, trimming one second off the previous women-only record held by Peres Jepchirchir.Agnes Ngetich smashes Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon course record as Ke..

Agnes Ngetich continued her remarkable 2026 season after storming to victory at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon in Japan on Sunday, 18 October, setting a new course record in the women’s race.The reigning world half marathon champion clocked 1:04:23 to secure the title, lowering the previous course mark by more than three minutes and adding another prestigious victory to her growing collection of achievements this year.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsNgetich’s triumph capped another impressive performance by the Kenyan contingent, with Alexander Mutiso Munyao winning the men’s race in 59:51 to also set a new course record.Kenya enjoyed further success in the men’s category as Kiprono Sitonik and James Mutuku finished second and third, respectively, completing a clean sweep of the podium. ##NAJAVA_MECA_10036299##Tabitha Kamau also secured second place in the women’s race.Ngetich arrived in Tokyo in impressive form following a season in which she has demonstrated her versatili..

Olympic champion Gabby Thomas has revealed how sibling rivalry with her twin brother, Andrew helped shape her competitive spirit and pushed her towards a career in athletics.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThomas, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, believes the rivalry between the two played a significant role in her sporting journey, even though Andrew pursued a completely different career path in the creative industry.Speaking at the Athlos event, the American sprinter reflected on how growing up with her twin brother influenced her determination to excel, noting that their competitive relationship encouraged her to push herself further.“I think we definitely have sibling rivalry, that was very real. The thing is, he went in a completely different direction. He went to arts and creatives and then I went to sports for that reason. But I do think that rivalry pushed me into sports even more,” Thomas said.Sha’Carri Richardson reveals careers she would pursue outside athleti..

Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu-Nikolayev has announced that she is expecting her first child with husband Yegor Nikolayev.She shared the happy news after a challenging period in her athletics career that has kept her away from competition for more than a year.The American middle-distance runner announced the pregnancy on Instagram, posting a series of photographs with her husband as the couple prepared to welcome their first child.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more news“Baby on board ☀️ Can’t wait to meet our little Sunshine! (sic)” Mu-Nikolayev wrote.One of the photographs showed the couple standing in an open field, with Mu holding ultrasound images, while other pictures highlighted her growing baby bump.The announcement attracted congratulatory messages from fellow athletes, including Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles, as well as Hunter Woodhall and Masai Russell.Mu married fellow athlete Nikolayev on March 8, 2025, and the couple are now preparing to begin a new chapter of the..

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has outlined the key factor that earned Kenya the rights to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsCoe pointed to the country’s immense contribution to the sport’s global growth and development.He made the remarks during his official visit to Kenya on Wednesday, 14 October, where he reviewed the country’s early preparations for the historic championships, which will make Nairobi the first African city to host the senior global showpiece.President Ruto, Coe reaffirm shared commitment to successful 2029 World Championships in NairobiNairobi emerged ahead of London and Rome in the race to host the 2029 edition, while Munich was awarded the 2031 championships, following what World Athletics described as one of the strongest bidding processes in the history of the competition.According to Coe, Kenya’s rich athletics heritage and the influence of its athletes on the global stage were compelling elements ..

Paris Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan will miss a second consecutive major marathon after being forced to withdraw from the New York City Marathon set for Sunday, 1 November.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Dutch international says an illness has slowed down her training, leading to the decision to withdraw.“I was so excited to come back stronger,” Hassan said on Instagram, “But a sickness slowed down my training, and I’m not where I wanted to be. Sometimes, things just don’t go as planned.”##NAJAVA_MECA_10027921##She has not raced in 2026, having also withdrawn from the London Marathon in April with an Achilles tendon injury.Hassan’s last race dates back to the 2025 New York City Marathon, when she placed sixth in 2:24:43. New York was Hassan’s third marathon of 2025, and it was only two months after she won the Sydney Marathon, in 2:18:22. She also ran the London Marathon in April, finishing third, in 2:19:00.President Ruto, Coe reaffirm shared commitment to suc..

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe met with Kenyan President William Ruto in Eldoret as preparations start in earnest for the World 2029 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, the first edition of the sport’s flagship event to be held on African soil.The meeting marked Coe’s first visit to Kenya since Nairobi was awarded the 2029 World Championships by the World Athletics Council in September.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to delivering an outstanding championships and discussed the key requirements for ensuring the success of the event, including government commitments relating to funding, anti-doping and stadium preparations.The discussions also reinforced the importance of treating the championships as a national priority, bringing together the expertise and resources needed to deliver an event that will showcase Kenya’s sporting heritage and establish a legacy for athletics across the continent.“I was delighted to meet Hi..