Athletics

Kenya capped off a memorable campaign at the 2026 World U20 Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon with a sensational six-medal haul on the final day to finish second overall behind the United States, and emerge as Africa’s top-performing nation.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsTeam Kenya ended the championships with 11 medals; four gold, three silver and four bronze, trailing only the USA, who topped the standings with 24 medals (12 gold, seven silver and five bronze). Italy finished third with five medals, while Jamaica, Australia, Ethiopia, France, China, Czechia and South Africa completed the top 10.The final day belonged to Kenya’s middle-distance stars, who delivered two gold, two silver and two bronze medals in a remarkable display.Kenyan youngster reveals how double Olympic champion inspired World U20 gold medal runJosephine Sembeyo produced one of the most dramatic victories of the championships in the women’s 1,500m. Despite suffering a fall and losing one of he..

Kenyan youngster Emmanuel Kiprono has credited double Olympic gold medalist Beatrice Chebet for inspiring his sensational 3000m winning run at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA on Friday, 7 August.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKiprono, 17, made history at Hayward Field, claiming gold in a Championship Record time of 7:28.28, which fell just 0.09 seconds below Yomif Kejelcha’s World Junior Record time of 7:28.19 set in 2016.Kenyan youngster wins gold in Championship Record time at WU20sLeading from the gun, the Form Three student at St. Francis Kimuron Boys High School put together one of the most dominant performances at the event, finishing over 19 seconds in front of his closest chaser – Alois Abraham of France – who took silver in 7:47.79.The bronze medal went to Ojiro Honda, setting a Japanese U20 record of 7:48.49.##NAJAVA_MECA_9883804##What was unbeknownst to many, however, was that the run had been inspired by another Kenyan athlete, who had a ye..

World 800m champion Lilian Odira will face a stern test, when she lines at the Lausanne leg of the Wanda Diamond League on Friday, 21 August.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe 27-year-old, who recently won silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, is expected to come up against other star names in Audrey Werro and Femke Broeders-Bol, in the women’s 800m event.The Kenyan will be hoping to build on her Diamond League victory over world number one Keely Hodgkinson in Eugene last month, which was her first on athletics’ premier one-day circuit.Kenyan youngster wins gold in Championship Record time at WU20sIn the shape of Swiss star Werro, Odira faces the reigning series champion, who has been on a tear this season, breaking two Diamond League records in Stockholm and Paris, therefore becoming the third-fastest woman in history.The duo’s only meeting this year came at the Rabat Diamond League in May, when Werro took the win in a time of 1:56.56, with Odira finishing thi..

Race walker Stephen Ndangiri Kihu has been provisionally suspended after an out-of-competition doping test detected the presence of a prohibited substance, just days after his historic silver medal-winning performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) listed Ndangiri among provisionally suspended athletes on 5 August, citing an alleged anti-doping rule violation under category S2 of the World Anti-Doping Code, which covers peptide hormones and other related substances.##NAJAVA_MECA_9883848##In its notice, ADAK stated that the case involves the “Presence of Prohibited Substance S2. Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics/erythropoietin (EPO).”Ndangiri was the only athlete named in ADAK’s latest list of provisional suspensions, adding to the growing number of Kenyan athletes who have faced anti-doping sanctions in recent years through ADAK and the Athletics Integrity Unit ..

Youngster Emmanuel Kiprono on Friday, 7 August earned Kenya its second gold medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, this after completely dominating the 3000m field in a Championship Record time of 7:28.28.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKiprono, 17, was unstoppable in the event final, leading from gun-to-tape, to record an absurd solo finish that fell just 0.09 seconds behind Yomif Kejelcha’s World Junior Record time of 7:38.67 set in 2017.##NAJAVA_MECA_9883855##The St. Francis Kimuron Boys High School student was in a class of his own enroute to his historic run, going out to a 2:26.52 split in the first 1000m, before recording times of 3:54.58 at 1600m, and 4:55.43 at 2000m.So big was his winning margin that he won by almost half a lap, with over 19 seconds separating him from his closest chaser – Alois Abraham of France – who took silver in 7:47.79.Japan’s Ojiro Honda came in third, winning bronze in a national U20 record time of 7:48.49.Kenya wins thr..

Kenya’s ambition to become the first African nation to host the World Athletics Championships has faced a major challenge after London officially submitted its final bid to stage the 2029 edition.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsAthletic Ventures, a consortium comprising UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company, confirmed on Thursday, 6 August that it had submitted the final bid documents to World Athletics, with the iconic London Stadium proposed as the championship venue.The successful host city will be announced by World Athletics in September, with Kenya among a shortlist of serious contenders.##NAJAVA_MECA_9883156##Kenya formally submitted its bid in September 2025 to host either the 2029 or 2031 World Athletics Championships at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. Should the bid succeed, it would mark the first time the prestigious global athletics event is held on African soil.However, London’s entry significantly raises the level of co..

Team Kenya made a positive start to the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, USA, after claiming three medals on the event’s opening day on Wednesday, 5 August.Seeking to walk their talk on returning home with a bucket-load of medals, Kenya could not have asked for a better start, as they dominated the first long-distance finals at Hayward Field, winning the lot in the men’s and women’s 5000m.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsTop of the cream for Kenya was 19-year-old Frankline Kibet, who won his first global track title by winning gold in the men’s race in a time of 13:28.27.Kibet, who earlier this year took gold at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, led Kenya to a brilliant 1-2 finish, with his compatriot and team captain Nehemiah Kipngeno coming in second in a time of 13:30.09.Damitew Kebede of Ethiopia, meanwhile wrapped up the podium places in 13:35.38 to bag bronze.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878469##The result for Kenya ensured their dominan..

Noah Lyles equalled his lifetime best with a world-leading 9.79 (0.8m/s) to win the men’s 100m at the US Championships in New York on Friday, 24 July.The Olympic champion won by a comfortable margin from Ronnie Baker and Kenny Bednarek, who both clocked 9.88 with Baker finishing just 0.005 ahead to take second place.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsIn the semifinals just moments earlier, Lyles had sped to a marginally wind-assisted 9.76 which would have been a lifetime best had it not been for the wind (2.1m/s).“I think that was technically the best race I’ve had so far,” said Lyles, the four-time world 200m champion. “In training last week I ran a hand-timed 9.6, so I knew a 9.7 was coming soon. Seeing it once is nice to see; seeing it twice is a confidence booster. Seeing it three weeks in a row is no inconsistency.”Weightlifting sensation wins Kenya first medal at Commonwealth GamesSha’Carri Richardson regained her national title in the 100m, equalling her season’s best o..

Ephantus Mwangi Njeri claimed the first World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) World Cup victory of his career and Ruth Mwihaki Gitonga moved to the top of the overall standings at the Vauban Mountain Trail in Briançon, France, on Sunday (19). Their wins came 24 hours after Richard Omaya Atuya and Italy’s Francesca Ghelfi triumphed in the uphill races.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKenya swept both podiums in Sunday’s 14km classic up-and-down contest, which featured approximately 1000 metres of ascent and descent. Njeri used his strength on the downhill section to win in 1:03:01, while Gitonga held off compatriot Gloria Chebet to take the women’s race in 1:14:03.Atuya, who had won the uphill race the previous day, again established himself at the front during the opening climb. He was the first athlete to reach the high point at the Croix de Toulouse, about 1950 metres above sea level, and appeared on course to complete a weekend double.##NAJAVA_MECA_9855114##But Njeri ..

Defending champion Wycliffe Kinyamal had to settle for a bronze medal after finishing third in a thrilling men’s 800m final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Saturday evening.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Kenyan clocked 1:46.12, finishing behind Jamaica’s Navasky Anderson, who stormed to gold in 1:45.33, while Australia’s Luke Boyes claimed silver in 1:45.93.Matthew Kipsang strikes Commonwealth gold for Kenya as Kemboi narrowly misses podiumThe result brought an end to Kinyamal’s reign as Commonwealth champion after he had won the previous two editions of the Games.Kinyamal positioned himself well throughout the two-lap race and remained in contention entering the home straight, but Anderson unleashed a powerful finishing burst to pull away from the field.##NAJAVA_MECA_9872188##Boyes also found another gear in the closing metres to edge ahead of the Kenyan, leaving Kinyamal to complete the podium.England’s Ben Pattison narrowly missed out on a medal after f..