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Record-breaking Winny Bii eyes 14 metres club
Winny Chepng'etich Bii in action at the Arkansas Invitational in the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in USA on January 12, 2023. Chepng'etich broke the national record in triple jump after clearing 13.49m, to erase Gloria Mulei's mark of 13.05m.
What you need to know:
- Despite her success, Bii remains focused on a bigger goal—breaking into the elite 14-metre club and qualifying for the World Championships.
- “My target is to hit the world championships qualifying distance, and I am working hard to achieve that as soon as possible,” she explained.
Kenya’s African Games triple jump silver medallist, Winny Chepng’etich Bii, has once again shattered her national record.
The 21-year-old soared 13.92 metres to victory at the New Mexico Team Open held at the Convention Centre in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday.
This remarkable feat saw Bii improve on her previous national record of 13.66m, which she set nearly a year ago at the Big 12 Indoor Championships at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas.
Bii credited her recent progress to a change in both her training environment and coaching team. In June last year, she transferred from Oklahoma State University to Texas A&M University, where she now trains under Mario Sategna, replacing Zivile Pukstiene, who had coached her since she moved to the U.S. on a sports scholarship in 2023.
“It feels great to break my own record, and besides changing schools and coaches, my new school has some of the best teammates, who have been my support system,” said Bii.
Despite her success, Bii remains focused on a bigger goal—breaking into the elite 14-metre club and qualifying for the World Championships.
“My target is to hit the world championships qualifying distance, and I am working hard to achieve that as soon as possible,” she explained.
“My hop and step are fine, but my leap is too short. If I fix that, I know I will jump even further, and reaching 14 metres and the world standard will be inevitable.”
Bii’s record-breaking performance comes just weeks after Kenyan hurdler Rukia Nusra became the first Kenyan woman to compete in the 60m hurdles indoor event. Nusra finished third in her heat in 8.68 seconds and, though she fell short in the semi-finals, she set a new national record of 7.85 seconds for fourth place.
Nusra, now a student at the University of Akron in Ohio, continues to break new ground for Kenyan athletes on the indoor track.
