Tokyo bound: Kenyan teams qualify for world event

South Africa made history by becoming the first African nation to top the medal standings at the World Relays, upstaging powerhouses like the United States.

South Africa won three medals — two gold and one bronze — while the USA followed with one gold and two silver medals. Spain finished third with a gold and a silver.

Kenya’s teams in the 4x400m mixed relay, men’s 4x400m, and men’s 4x100m qualified for the World Athletics Championships scheduled for September 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan. The athletes called for proper preparation and recognition ahead of the global event.

Athletics Kenya president and World Athletics deputy president Jack Tuwei pledged continued support for sprinters and relay teams in their journey toward Tokyo.

The 4x400 metres mixed relay team delivered Kenya’s only medal in the championship — a bronze — at the scenic Guangdong Olympic Stadium. The men’s 4x100m team also made history by qualifying for the World Championships for the first time in 42 years.

Despite clocking a sub-three-minute time of 2:59.29 — a new national record — the men’s 4x400m team finished fifth in the final.

Meanwhile, the women’s 4x400m team had their disqualification reversed and reinstated to fourth place.

Their performance of 3:28.20 shattered a 38-year-old national record of 3:28.94 set at the 1987 African Games. The team now hopes to qualify for the world championships through world rankings.

Former national 400m champion Mercy Oketch anchored the 4x400m mixed relay team — which included David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, and Brian Tinega — to a season-best 3:13.10 for third place.

It was Kenya’s first medal in the mixed relay event since winning bronze at the 2019 Yokohama World Relays.

The USA retained the title in a championship record time of 3:09.54, while Australia took silver with an area national record of 3:12.20.

“We thank God for this medal after we failed to secure anything last year in the Bahamas. The morale was high and that is what spurred us to a podium finish,” said Sanayek.

Oketch celebrated her achievement, calling it a major highlight of her career.

“It was quite fascinating. This is my first world medal and I am proud of it. This is just the beginning,” said Oketch, adding that the team looks forward to a better placing in Tokyo.

In the men’s 4x100m, Steve Onyango anchored the team of Boniface Mweresa, Ferdinand Omanyala, and Meshak Babu to second place in their qualifying heat, clocking 38.51 to earn a spot at the world championships.

Belgium won the heat in 38.49, while France, Ghana, China, and Australia also qualified from the round.

The team had narrowly missed direct qualification the previous day despite setting a new national record of 38.35. They bounced back to secure their place in style.

This will be the first time Kenya fields a men’s 4x100m relay team at the World Championships since the inaugural edition in 1983.

“We simply had a great weekend here. I am excited being part of history — that this is the team making it to the worlds for the first time since 1983… those are 42 years,” said Omanyala.

“Yesterday we did great, running a national record, missing out by a whisker, and we knew we had to put our best foot forward. It’s now down to serious business. The country has seen, and they need to give the boys opportunity and finances,” he added.

Omanyala emphasized the importance of training camps and support ahead of Tokyo.

“The relay teams will need to be given training camps since it won’t be a walk in the park in Tokyo,” he said.