As Kenyans followed the performance of Team Kenya at the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championship with a sense of pride and patriotism, Fridah Ndinda too was filled with pride but was also restless.
“Watching Faith Kipyegon beat all her challengers in Tokyo was all the validation I needed to take my athletics career to the next level. I see myself in her journey,” Ndinda told Nation Sport .
“Just like myself, Faith Kipyegon started running barefooted,” said the 25-year-old. Inspired by Faith’s latest athletic journey, she felt she also needed to be there and now has the confidence of taking on the big girls at the big stage.
Ndinda, harbours dreams of competing in the Diamond League and ultimately at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games in 10,000m.
Her personal best in 10,000m is 31:41 set in 2023 in South Africa, and in the half marathon, 69:41, recorded in Dubai in February.
Born and raised at Kyangii Village in Machakos County, Ndinda represents an upcoming group of athletes from the region holding their own on the national scene.
The first born in a family of five showed her potential when she finished third in the Madoka Half Marathon in 2022.
Ndinda showed her progress after finishing runners up in the 2024 Nairobi City Marathon women’s 10km in a time of 34:12, 47 seconds behind race winner Ednah Kibiwott.
Kenyan athlete Fridah Ndinda.
Photo credit: Pool
A year ago, Ndinda stunned the field to win the inaugural Ndukuma Dam 15km title in Makueni County in a time of 49:47. She is keen on retaining her title when this year’s race is held next month.
Training under coach William Korir, she stepped out of Kenya for her first big race in January this year, finishing fourth in the Burj2Burj Half Marathon in Dubai with a time of 1:10:21.
The race was won by Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw in a time of 1:07:09 followed by Great Britain’s Eilish McColgan in 1:08:58 as Kenyan Jackline Cherono finished third in 1:09:33.
A brand ambassador of Tatu City, Ndinda traces her journey in athletics to her primary school days. She used to run to school every morning and it did not take long before teachers and her parents noticed her athletics talent.
Her heart would sink whenever she missed out on key school competitions because of lack of fare. She was sponsored to attend Kenswed Secondary School in Ngong because of her running talent.
Ndinda says she would have been a teacher if she was not pursuing athletics. When she is not training she coaches some 20 young learners at Nova Tatu Primary School in Nairobi County as a way of giving back to the community.
“We talk, train, and run together. I love being around them,” she said.
Her next big race is the Singapore Marathon in December. She believes that sporting talent requires support and the right environment to sprout and blossom.
