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Tag: Omanyala

  • Big names fall as National Athletics championships end at Ulinzi

    Big names fall as National Athletics championships end at Ulinzi

    Junior athletes stole the show as the two day National Athletics Championships concluded today at the  Ulinzi Complex  in Nairobi .

    However some managed to salvage their pride among them the fastest African man Ferdinard Omanyala,former World Champion Julius Yego ,and Lillian Odira who successfully defended their national titles .

    Odira clocked 2 minutes 2.08 seconds to emerge victorious in the 800m,ahead of World Under-20 champion Saraa Moraa from Kenya Police, who finished 2nd in 2 minutes 02.56, while Judy Kemunto of South Rift was third in 2:02.93.

    Kelvin Loti from Western became the new national champion in the men’s two-lap race with a time of 1 minute 43.61 minutes, 0.03 secs, ahead of 2nd placed Laban Chepkwony of KDF, who was followed by Alex Kipngetich from the Kenya Prisons Services in 1:45.55.

    Former World Under-20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot of Kenya Police beat former World champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya Prisons Service in the 1500m race to take the title after clocking 3 minutes 37.23 seconds, 0.05 secs ahead of Cheruiyot, while Kip Keino Classic champion Abel Kipsang from Kenya Police finished 3rd 3:40.20.

    Former World Under-20 bronze medallist Simon Koech of KDF beat Olympic bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwott of Police to the 3000m steeplechase title where he timed 8 minutes 22.99 seconds.

    Kibiwott took silver in 8 minutes 36.10, followed by KDF’s Benjamin Kigen who settled for bronze (8:39.75).

    African fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala of the Kenya Police clocked 10.08 seconds in the 100m final to retain his title ahead of KDF’s duo of Steve Onyango and Meshack Babu who finished 2nd and 3rd positions 10.27 and 10.31 respectively.

    Yego managed to retain his title with a 79.27m throw.

    Commonwealth Champion Wiseman Were eased to victory to retain his 400m hurdles in 49.21 seconds.

    The culmination of the national athletics championships marks the end of the track and field season, with focus now shifting to the national trials set for the 1st and 2nd of August this year, which will be used to select the Kenyan team to the 20th World Championships in Tokyo,Japan.

  • Omanyala and Atuka to carry Kenyan flag at the Paris Olympic games opening ceremony

    Omanyala and Atuka to carry Kenyan flag at the Paris Olympic games opening ceremony

    Africa’s fastest man in 100m Ferdinand Omanyala and Malkia Strikers captain Triza Atuka, have been selected as Kenyan flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 33rd Paris Olympic Games this Friday along river Seine.

    After making history by qualifying for the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Omanyala is returning to the Olympics for the second time.

    He will join Kipchoge Keino (1964, 1972), Patrick Sang (1992), Paul Tergat (1996), Kennedy Ochieng (2000), and Grace Momanyi (2008) as the sixth Kenyan flag bearer in the athletics category.

    Atuka, the Kenya National Volleyball Captain, will join Omanyala in leading the Kenyan team as they join over 200 other countries at the historic Nations Parade on Friday.

    The Olympic Games officially get underway with the opening ceremony.

    Triza Atuka

    Kenya will once again have two flag bearers—a male and a female—in Paris in 2024.

    The flag bearers at Tokyo 2020 were Andrew Amonde, the captain of the National Rugby 7 team, and Mercy Moim, the captain of the National Volleyball squad.

    For the first time in history, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be held outside of a stadium.

    The ceremony will take place along the River Seine in Paris, with each country positioned on different boats.

    Double 1500m Olympic Champion Faith Kipyegon who will also compete in 5,000m and Kenya rugby 7’s captain Tony Omondi are the overall team Kenya captain at this year’s games.

    The 81 competitors from Kenya will compete in six different sports: swimming, judo, volleyball, rugby sevens, athletics, and fencing.

    The action will be beamed live and exclusively on KBC Channel 1 from 24th July till 11th August.

  • Know your team Kenya Olympic games sprint and relay athletes

    Know your team Kenya Olympic games sprint and relay athletes

    Kenya will participate in the 400-meter men’s, 400-meter men’s hurdles, and 4×400-meter mixed relay events at the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris, France.

    The opening ceremony for the games  is scheduled for July 26, 2024 along river Siene in Paris.

    Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omonyala, Zablon Ekwam, and Wiseman Were, will be the only Kenyan sprinters in Paris, while the relay team comprises Boniface Mweresa, Veronica Mutua, Kelvin Tauta, David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, Kelvin Kipkorir, and Maureen Thomas.

    Zablon Ekwam in action at Nyayo stadium

     

    With a time of 9.77 in the 100 metres, Omanyala is the second fastest man going into the Paris Olympics.

    However, in contrast to the last World Championships and the previous Olympic Games three years ago, the two-time African champion is under less pressure to perform well on the biggest international stage, which he believes will work to his advantage.

    Another talented Kenyan sprinter in Paris at the age of 26 is Zablon Ekwam.

    He boasts of having a personal best time of 44.69 and was a member of the 4x400m relay team that placed fourth at the World Indoors in Glasgow, matching his performance from the 4x400m mixed relay at the Africa Senior Championships in Cameron last month. He has been in incredible form this year.

    Wiseman Were training in Miramas,France

    Finally, but certainly not least, Wiseman Were, an individual sprinter competing in this year’s Olympics, will be taking on the Olympic track for the first time.

    The 26-year-old is the reigning national champion and also the 2024 Kip Keino classic champion in 400m hurdles.

    In addition to being the current national champion, the 26-year-old won the 400-meter hurdles Kip Keino Classic in 2024.

    He was part of the team that won bronze in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 4x400m relay, managed a 4th finish in the 400m hurdles in the same Birmingham championships, and finished 4th in last month’s 400m hurdles at the Africa senior championships.

    He also finished 4th in this year’s All Africa games in Accra, Ghana.

  • Moraa,Chepkoech and Omanyala finish 2nd in Prefontaine Classic

    Moraa,Chepkoech and Omanyala finish 2nd in Prefontaine Classic

    World Champion Mary Moraa, Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, and 3000m world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech finished in 2nd positions at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League on Saturday night in the USA.

    In the 800 meters, Moraa took the lead in the first lap but was overtaken by Kelly Hodgkinso of Britain at the last turn.

    Hodgkinso won the race in a world record time of 1:55.75, while Moraa finished in second place with a season best time of 1 minute 56.71 seconds.

    Similarly, in the 3000m, Olympic champion Peruth Jemutai of Uganda won with a world-leading time, a national record, and a personal best time of 8:55.09.

    World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech was demoted to second place after leading until the 2000m mark.

    Last year, world silver medalist Faith Cherotich finished third, clocking 9 minutes and 4.45 seconds.

    Omanyala finished second in the 100-meter dash with a personal best timing of 9.98 seconds, 0.03 seconds behind American Christian Coleman. Hickling Brandon of the USA came in third.

  • Omanyala to renew rivalry with Bednarek at the 5th Kip Keino Classic

    Omanyala to renew rivalry with Bednarek at the 5th Kip Keino Classic

    Olympic 200m silver medalists Kenny Bednarek of USA and Christine Mboma of Namibia and World 100m Silver medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana are among the top sprinters who have confirmed their participation at the 5th edition of Kip Keino Classic Continental tour set for Nyayo stadium on 20th of this month.

    Bednarek will be competing in kenya for a third time in row and finished 2nd in 100m during last year’s edition behind reigning Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omanyala with the two set to renew their rivalry ,while Tebogo will compete in Kenya for the 1st time since winning gold medal at the world u 20 athletics championships which was held in Nairobi in 2021.

    According to the event director Barnaba Korir, preparations are almost complete with foreign athletes expected in the country from this weekend.

    Korir revealed that Athletics Kenya has already applied for the upgrading of the continental tour to a Diamond league meet with country already meeting set standards.

    Kenyan meet is divided into National, discretionary and Core events.

    The ultimate core events which will run from 2pm include 100m for men and women,200m men,400m hurdles women,800m for both men and women and hammer throw for men and women.

    This year’s Kip Keino Classic Continental tour will be the 2nd stop for the gold label series after Melbourne Australia on 15th February,with the season set to conclude on 8th September in Zagreb,Croatia with the 11th meet.