Athletics

Kenya’s hopes of bagging a sprint medal at the upcoming 24th African Senior Athletics Championships rest on Mark Otieno, as the country names a formidable squad for the continental showpiece set for Tuesday, 12 to Saturday, 17 May at the University of Ghana Stadium in Accra.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsOtieno, currently the second fastest Kenyan over 100m, headlines a three-man team that will line up against Africa’s finest sprinters. The experienced speedster, who clocked 10.36 seconds in the final during the national trials, is keen to make his second appearance at the championships count.Ferdinand Omanyala opens season with 100m victory in South Africa“I would love to go there and bring back a medal for the country. It will be a record in my books and to add on my profile as well as becoming an African champion and to also reach the finals,” Otieno told Mozzart Sport.Reflecting on his journey, the sprinter drew motivation from his earlier outing at the 2015 African Ga..

Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, began his 2026 outdoor season on a high note, storming to victory in the men’s 100m at the Cape Milers Club meet held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on Saturday, 10 April.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe reigning Commonwealth Games champion clocked an impressive 10.19 seconds to cross the line first, signalling a strong return to form after a slow start to the year.South Africa’s Ubay Arend finished second in 10.55 seconds, while Keegan Van Der Merwe completed the podium in 10.56 seconds.Athletics Kenya weighs in on Kenya’s bid to host Diamond League eventOmanyala had already made his outdoor bow at the Lefika International Relays, where he featured in both relay events.He guided the 4x100m mixed relay team to a second-place finish in 41.70 seconds and also helped the men’s 4x100m team secure another second-place result in 39.12 seconds.The 30-year-old’s outdoor season opener comes after a modest indoor campaign, where the Kenyan..

Kenya is edging closer to securing a historic leg of the Diamond League, with Athletics Kenya (AK) expressing strong confidence that the country could soon join the elite global circuit.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsSpeaking during the launch of the Kip Keino Classic, Youth Development chairman and Nairobi Meet Director Barnaba Korir revealed that discussions with global stakeholders are at an advanced stage.“We are at the forefront of fighting to get a Diamond League status. We are in the stages where we can almost confirm that we are going to be there,” Korir said.##NAJAVA_MECA_9666606##However, the main hurdle remains infrastructure, particularly the ongoing renovations at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. The stadium, earmarked as the potential host venue, is currently undergoing upgrades, with plans to install a new tartan track.Korir disclosed that discussions are underway between stadium management and the government regarding the installation, with Athlet..

Kenyan hurdler Rukia Nusra Omulisia has explained the impact of the U.S. collegiate system on her development after a breakthrough weekend at the Texas Relays, where she shattered her national 100m hurdles record twice.Competing for the Kentucky Wildcats, Nusra clocked 13.18 seconds in the preliminary heats before improving further to 13.13 in the final, finishing third in a highly competitive field. The performances marked a significant leap from her previous Kenyan record of 13.25 set in 2025.🚨 Record Alert 🚨For the second consecutive day, Rukia Nusra Omulisia improves her Kenyan National Record time to 13.13 in the women’s 100m hurdles final!!📊 https://t.co/qTgZrA8uRa📺 https://t.co/ZEPbK2jTIk#HurdleU | #WeAreUK | #UKTF pic.twitter.com/Tc0kAtRQJD— UK Track & Field (@KentuckyTrack) April 4, 2026 In the preliminaries, Nusra delivered a composed and technically sharp race, using a +1.8 m/s tailwind to her advantage as she comfortably advanced.The race featured top NCAA talent, with team..

Olympic champion Gabby Thomas has confirmed she will headline the 2026 Kip Keino Classic, marking her long-awaited debut on African soil.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe triple Olympic champion is set to compete at the Nairobi meet on Friday, 24 April, as part of a packed early-season schedule that will see her race across multiple continents.The American sprint star announced her participation via her social media platforms, outlining a three-stop campaign that could culminate in selection for Team USA at the World Athletics Relays.Victor Wanyama explains source of Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles this seasonThomas will kick off her African tour at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday, 18 April, before heading to Nairobi for the Kip Keino Classic.She will then wrap up the stretch at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone on Sunday, 26 April.Her participation in the Kip Keino Classic adds star power to one of Africa’s premier track and field e..

The Kip Keino Classic returns on Friday, 24 April at Nyayo National Stadium and for the first time, the event will run under floodlights from 4 PM to 9 PM, a historic shift that reflects a deeper, data-driven understanding of performance, environment, and health.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsBut the bigger story lies in why April has always been its home.For years, April has been the default month for the Kip Keino Classic. Now, science explains why.Why athletes struggle to break world records in races held in KenyaSpeaking to Mozzart Sport, Ngongang Wandji Danube Kirt, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, explained that this timing is no coincidence, but the result of sustained environmental monitoring and analysis.“We have partnered with Athletics Kenya under a program on sustainability in sport. One of the key pillars of this initiative is understanding how climate change affects performance and air quality within sports infrastructure, while also ..

For a country globally celebrated for producing some of the finest long-distance athletes, Kenya’s lack of world records set on home soil often raises eyebrows. However, according to Athletics Kenya (AK) Director of Youth Development Barnaba Korir, the explanation lies in science, specifically, the impact of altitude.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more news“Many people ask why we do not have world records from Kenya. We have other records like national and African records in Kenya, but not world records, why?” Korir posed.The answer, he explains, is straightforward yet significant. Kenya’s high altitude, particularly in cities like Nairobi, significantly limits peak performance in long-distance runners.##NAJAVA_MECA_9647723##At higher altitudes, oxygen levels are lower, which directly affects an athlete’s aerobic capacity. For endurance events such as the 5,000m and 10,000m, where oxygen efficiency is critical, this becomes a major disadvantage.“When it comes to long distances, the..

Fans attending the 2026 Kip Keino Classic will enjoy free entry to one of Kenya’s premier athletics events, as organisers shift focus from gate collections to long-term growth of the sport.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe move marks a departure from the 2025 edition, in which the event at the Ulinzi Sports Complex introduced ticketing for the first time. Spectators paid Ksh200 for regular access and Ksh2,000 for VIP seating.Why Kip Keino Classic organizers are introducing wave light technologyDespite that, Kenya has consistently demonstrated its ability to fill stadiums. Events such as the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the HSBC SVNS II leg hosted in Nairobi earlier this year drew impressive crowds.However, organisers of the 2026 Kip Keino Classic edition are taking a different route, one guided by the World Athletics strategic framework, the World Plan for Athletics 2022–2030.##NAJAVA_MECA_9647582##This long-term blueprint emphasises growing the sport beyo..

Newly crowned World Indoor 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has poked fun at Premier League side West Ham by claiming Great Britain will win more medals at the London Stadium than the Hammers have “in their entire history” if the 2029 World Athletics Championships are held in the English capital.Last year the UK Government confirmed its support for London’s bid to host the event for the first time since 2017, with ministers also backing a bid for the World Para Athletics Championships.The bid has received backing from London Mayor Sadiq Khan.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsIf successful, the bid would see the championships return to West Ham’s London Stadium although, according to reports, the Premier League side have not yet agreed to allow the venue to be used.Earlier this month, the Hammers maintained they have a “contractual right ensuring West Ham United games take priority during the football season”.World Athletics usually stages the championships in either August or S..

Andrea Kiptoo and Likina Amebaw are the winners of an eventful 45th edition of the Generali Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday, 29 March.Kiptoo enjoyed the biggest win of his career, so far, hitting the finish line first in 59:11 but only after fellow Kenyan Dennis Kipkemoi, running as a pacemaker, stepped aside in the final strides.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThird place went to Amanal Petros, who broke his own German record by nine seconds with a run of 59:22 to finish just ahead of Swiss Dominic Lobalu’s 59:23.Hopes had been high that the World silver medalist, Petros, could threaten Andreas Almgren’s European record as he was initially part of the leading group that featured Kiptoo, Lobalu, Michael Temoi and Ayensa Alemu. Temoi took them through the 5km mark in 14:02.How Kelvin Kiptum’s death sparked a dark chapter in Eliud Kipchoge’s careerKiptoo hit the 10km mark in 27:50, after a second 5km of 13:47 as the leading quartet became three with Temoi falling away in the f..