Athletes to watch out for at Kip Keino Classic
Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani will Saturday host athletes from across the world for the second edition of World Athletics Continental Gold Tour dubbed Absa Kip Keino Classic.
Here Nation Sports samples the star athletes expected to light up the meet.
Men’s 100m
Justin Gatlin
The 39-year-old Gatlin, who is the fifth all time fastest man in 100m, has won 10 medals from the World Championships that include four gold and six silvers in addition to five medals from Olympic Games; one gold, two silver and two bronze.
Gatlin, who has personal best 9.74 has run 13 races in 100m this year but has his season best of 9.93 from the US Olympic trials in June and Prefontaine Classic in July.
Trayvon Bromell
The 2015 World 100m bronze medallist won the US trials in 9.98 seconds and went to Tokyo as one of the favourites to succeed Jamaican Usain Bolt by virtue of having a world lead of 9.77 from his victory at New Life Invitational on June 5 at Ansin Sports Complex, Florida.
The American lost in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics before finishing fourth (9.86).
Trayvon came second in 9.94 in Brussels Diamond League where Olympic 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley won in 9.94 with Omanyala coming in fourth in 10.02.
Ferdinand Omanyala
Omanyala took down some big names including Africa 100m record holder Akani Simbine from South Africa on his way to finishing fourth on his debut at the Diamond League in Brussels on September 3.
Omanyala had broken his own National Record twice, running 9.96 in the first round followed by 9.86 in the final at the International Josko Lauf Meeting at Pramtal Stadium, Andorra, Austria on August 14.
He became the first Kenyan to run sub 10 seconds.
Men’s 200m
Fred Kerley
Kerley, the Tokyo Olympic Games 100m silver medallist is fresh from winning the Diamond League 100m series in Zurich, making him the first athlete to win the series in 100m (2021) and 400m (2018).
Kerley ran personal best 19.77 to finish second but was judged as wind assisted on August 26 in Lausanne Diamond League. He won 19.79 for his official PB with victory in the Paris Diamond League on August 28.
Isaac Makwala
The 400m specialist is the Commonwealth Games 400m champion with his only major 200m medal coming from 2014 Africa Championships where he won silver. He holds the national record in 200m of 19.77 from Madrid, Spain in 2017.
Women’s 200m
Christine Mboma
The World Under-20 200m champion is on the roll. After claiming silver in 200m at Tokyo Olympics with a world under-20 record of 21.81, the teenager from Namibia would win world under-20 with a Championship record time of 21.84 in Nairobi. Then she blasted to a new world under-20 record of 21.78 in Zurich for her maiden Diamond League series win.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou
The Ivorian, who is the 2019 African Games champion, claimed bronze in 100m at the 2019 World 100m to finish fourth in 100m and fifth in 200m at Tokyo Olympics. She has a personal best 22.08 in 200m.
Women’s 1,500m
Faith Chepng’etich
Fresh from winning both the Olympic and Diamond League series in 1,500m, Chepngétich, the 2019 World 1,500m champion, will be defending her title. She has a personal best 3:51.07 from Monaco Diamond League July this year. The time makes her the fourth fastest woman in 1,500m history.
Men’s 800m
Ferguson Rotich
The Tokyo Olympic 800m silver medallist will be defending his title. He has season best of 1:43.57 from Monaco Diamond League and personal best 1:42.54 from 2019 Monaco Diamond League.
Women’s 800m
Halima Nakaayi
The Ugandan, who won gold in 800m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha has a personal best 1:58.03 from Monaco Diamond League where she finished seventh but still in a national record performance.
Mary Moraa
This is the year Moraa, the 2017 world under-20 400m silver medallist made her debut at the Olympics in Tokyo. She might have failed to go past the semifinals but she for the first time ran sub 2 minutes.
She ran a personal best 1:59.25 in Sweden, a time that saw her qualify for the Tokyo Games.
3,000m steeplechase
Soufiane El Bakkali
The Moroccan is fresh from winning the 3,000m steeplechase title at the Tokyo Olympic Games where he ended Kenya's three decades of dominance.
The Moroccan, who won silver at 2017 London and bronze at 2019 Doha World Championships has personal best 7:58.15 and season's best 8:08.54.
Benjamin Kigen
The African Games champion is fresh from claiming bronze at Tokyo Olympics and Diamond League trophy in Zurich. He has personal record of 8:05.12 while he has run 8:07.12 this season. BY DAILY NATION
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