Kenya wrapped up her campaign at the 2026 Africa Athletics Championships on May 17, 2026, with gold medals in men’s javelin and the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase, but the country failed to dislodge South Africa at the top of the medal standings.
But perhaps the best story from the Kenyan camp came from 2015 world javelin champion Julius Yego.
Kenya's Julius Yego in action during Absa Kipkeino Classic Javelin Throw on May 31, 2025 at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation
In his swansong at the continental championship, Yego, who is also the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, won his sixth African javelin title, becoming the most successful Kenyan male athlete at the championship.
Yego, 37, hauled 79.87 metres to win a fourth successive title, as Ethiopia’s Otagiogulla Obang claimed the silver medal in a national record throw of 77.60m. It was Ethiopia’s first medal in javelin throw at a major championship. Kenya and Ethiopia have dominated middle and long-distance running globally. South Africa’s Douw Smit threw 76.70m for bronze at a rain-soaked University of Ghana Stadium in Accra.
Although he was competing in the Africa Athletics Championships for the final time, Yego said that he isn’t done just yet and he is looking forward to competing in a number of events, particularly the 2027 Beijing World Athletics Championships, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. He has already competed in the World Athletics Championships seven times, and at the Olympics four times.
“It’s all by the grace of God…fourth straight African title and the sixth overall is impressive, especially given that I am coming from a groin injury. I really didn’t want to push things more than I did,” Yego, the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, said. “This victory is proof that I can still keep going.”
Yego and race walker Grace Wanjiru are the most successful Kenyan athletes at the Africa Athletics Championships with six gold medals each. Yego’s next assignment is the 2026 Commonwealth Games scheduled from July 24 to August 2, 2026, in Glasgow.
At the same time, the 2024 World Under-20 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Diana Chepkemoi recaptured the women’s 3,000m steeplechase crown for Kenya. The 21-year-old clocked 9:29.18 to lead her compatriot Mercy Chepng’eno (9:30.46) to a 1-2 finish for Kenya.
Kenya Diana Chepkemoi celebrate crossing finishing line of Under 18 years Girls during World School Cross Country Championship on May 12th 2024 at Ngong Race Course.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo| Nation Media Group
Kenya again finished second in the medal standings with 17 medals; five gold, five silver and seven bronze, while South Africa topped with 18 medals; nine gold, three silver and six bronze. In the 2024 championship held in Douala, Cameroon, South Africa led the medal standings with nine gold, four silver and six bronze, followed by Kenya (5-7-7).
Chepkemoi helped Kenya recapture the women’s 3,000m steeplechase title the country won last in 2018 through world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech.
For the first time since 2012, Kenya won both the men's and women’s 10,000m titles courtesy of Kevin Chesang and Diana Wanza. Gladys Cherono and Kenneth Kipkemoi won the two titles in the 2012 championships held in Porto-Novo, Benin.
Kelvin Loti also helped Kenya retain the men’s 800m, but Kenyan women relinquished the 800m title to Msgana Hailu of Ethiopia after dominating in two previous editions.
Kenya also failed to recapture the men’s race walk title when the 2016 and 2022 champion, Samuel Gathimba, finished in seventh position in 1:24:51 as the 2023 Africa under-20 bronze medallist, Stephen Ndangiri, claimed the silver medal in 1:20:01, losing the battle to Ethiopia’s Misgana Wakuma, who retained the title in 1:18:47.
Perhaps Kenya’s most noticeable performances were from decathlon athlete Edwin Too and hammer thrower Belinda Oburu.
National record holder Too upgraded to silver in decathlon, having won bronze at the 2024 championships in Doula. The last Kenyan to have won the event is Charles Kokoyo, who triumphed in 1982 in Cairo, where he led the Kenyan duo of Patrick Cheruiyot and Solomon Kaptich in a podium sweep.
Oburu set a new national record for the second time, hauling a distance of 16.39m to erase her own national record of 15.74m set during the combined trials for the World Athletics Relay Championships and African Athletics Championships on April 10, 2026.
