Rosemary Longisa will spearhead Kenya’s charge in the women’s mile final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after producing a composed performance during the semifinal held on Thursday, 30 July in Glasgow, Scotland.
Fellow Kenyan Naomi Korir also advanced after narrowly missing out on a podium finish, placing fourth in a time of 4:31.80, while Australia’s Claudia Hollingsworth claimed victory in 4:31.17.Teresiah Muthoni completed the Kenyan contingent that qualified for the final, giving the country three representatives in the medal race scheduled for Sunday, 2 August.
The semifinal unfolded cautiously, with the Kenyan runners opting for a patient approach in the opening stages. Naomi Korir and Longisa stayed off the early pace as Tanzania’s Musa remained among the leaders. However, the race came alive towards the end of the second lap when the Kenyan duo began moving through the field. Longisa surged into second place on the final lap, but despite a strong finishing effort, she could not match the late acceleration of Australia’s Hollingsworth, who held on to win the race. Nevertheless, the Kenyan comfortably secured her place in the final.
Longisa heads into Sunday’s showdown in the form of her life following a remarkable breakthrough season in the United States.On April 19, the former Washington State standout produced one of the fastest collegiate performances in history, running 4:02.55 over 1,500m to record the quickest outdoor NCAA time since 2009. The performance elevated her to second on the all-time collegiate list behind only Jenny Barringer’s 3:59.90 and propelled her from 134th to 20th on Kenya’s all-time rankings over the distance.
Her impressive campaign continued on May 1 when she shattered Washington State’s 35-year-old outdoor 800m record after clocking 2:00.27, a performance that ranked her fifth nationally while adding another school record to her name. Longisa departed Washington State as one of the program’s most accomplished middle-distance athletes, leaving with school records in the indoor 800m, outdoor 800m, indoor mile and outdoor 1,500m. She has since transferred to Iowa State University, where she reunited with women’s cross-country head coach and assistant track coach Laura Harmon ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The Kenyan joined Iowa State fresh from winning the NCAA outdoor 1,500m title and boasts personal bests of 4:02.55 in the 1,500m, 4:24.59 in the mile and 1:59.71 in the 800m.Away from the track, Longisa also enjoyed an outstanding 2025 cross-country season, winning the West Coast Conference title while setting course and meet records at both the Gans Creek Classic and Cougar Classic. She also earned All-America honours as a freshman.