Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, former world javelin champion Julius Yego and fast-rising Sarah Moraa have pledged standout performances at the sixth Absa Kip Keino Classic today.
This year’s World Athletics Continental Golf Tour meet is being staged at the 10,000-seater Ulinzi Sports Complex for the first time in history.
The Core events are hammer throw, 100m, 200m, 400m hurdles and 800m.
Omanyala, who is focused on recapturing the men’s 100 metres for a third title, downplayed the challenge posed by South Africa’s sprint prodigy Bayanda Walaza, saying the whole field is challenging.
Omanyala, the Commonwealth Games champion, said that it will be suicidal to underrate anyone in the field, having leaned the hard way after he was beaten by the 18-year-old Karabo Letebele of South Africa at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix 1 on March 12.
Omanyala, with a time of 10.22 finished behind Letebele (10.19) and Emile Erasmus (10.19) in the race.
“Everyone that lines up is tough. These are not weaklings. This is a Gold Tour and a major difference to Diamond League. You can’t look down upon anyone. It happened to me.
Ferdinand Omanyala at the press conference at Tamarind Tree Hotel, Nairobi on May 30, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“These boys are flying,” said Omanyala, who is eyeing his first sub 10 seconds race this season.
Though not his style to point out his competitors, Omanyala said it’s a great privilege for himself and Walaza to compete against each other.
“It’s my wish to finally run sub 10 seconds this season and move into my fourth Diamond League race next week in Rome with confidence,” said Omanyala, noting that his good start for second place in Rabat Diamond last week was a good sign ahead of Kip Keino Classic.
“I am praying for a similar start though I have never run 100m at the Ulinzi Complex,” said Omanyala during the meet’s pre-event press conference.
“Many sprinters want to come to Kenya but they want to race at Kasarani. So let's hurry up with the renovations at Kasarani. I have been to several Diamond League events and Kenya meets the standards,” said Omanyala, who rallied fans to come for a showstopper
It has been a hot-cold Diamond League season for Omanyala. He finished second in Xiamen (10.13), ninth in Shanghai (10.25) and second in Rabat Diamond League (10.05).
Ulinzi Sports Complex running track in this picture taken on May 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
Omanyala, who has season best of 10.00 with a second place finish at Botswana Golden Grand Prix, cracked an Africa Record in 150m of 14.70 at the Adidas Atlanta Games on May 17.
Walaza, the double World Under-20 champion and Paris Olympics 4x100m silver medallist, is fresh from running third fastest time this season with victory in Zagreb in 9.94 victory.
Also to watch out for are African Games silver medallist Claude Itoungue of Cameroon, Australian world indoor 60m silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy and Walaza’s world relays 4x100m gold medallist Sinesipho Dambile.
Moraa, the Africa and World Under-20 champion, said she was ready to sprout out of the shadows of her mentor and world champion, Mary Moraa, and fit in her spikes. Mary Moraa won last year ‘s race in a championship record tine of 1:57.96.
Sarah Moraa, with a BP of 1:59.39 will race against Africa silver medallist Lilian Odira (1:59.27), Saint Vincent’s Shafiqua Maloney (1:57.59), Botswana’s Oratile Nowe (1:58.96) and Kenyan-born Bahraini Nelly Jepkosgei (1:57.89).
Yego, the 2026 Rio Olympics silver medallist and 2025 world champion, will renew his rivalry with two-time world javelin champion and Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters and 2023 Kip Keino champion Timothy Herman.
“I am still looking for that huge throw that will surpass my personal best of 92.72m from 2025. It’s now a decade,” said Yego, the 36-year-old 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, who opened his season with a ninth place (78.52m) at the Doha Diamond League.
Peters, 27, returns to Nairobi hoping to atone for his second place finish in 2023 in 85.72m.
"It feels good to be back in Kenya and the season is still raw. I will be looking for 87m plus tomorrow," said Peters, who has a season best 85..64m.
