All the best to athletes

There is a lot for the country to celebrate when the fifth edition of the Kip Keino Classic goes down today at the Nyayo National Stadium with 247 athletes from 45 nationalities participating.

The return of the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour to the 30,000 seater stadium is nostalgic as the country marks huge milestones.

We welcome both the foreign and local athletes to this year’s Kip Keino Classic and urge them to not only set good times in their respective events but also find time to discover what else the country can offer in terms of tourism.

It can be recalled that Kip Keino Classic is the only international athletics event that was staged during the Covid-19 period in 2020. The success of the event won the country accolades for its organisational prowess.

Dreams have been achieved and records shattered at the only World Athletics Continental Gold Tour, the only other top event after the Rabat Diamond League that is the World Athletics’ top tier event.

Many athletes have launched their seasons in Kenya on their way to winning Olympic, world and Commonwealth Games medals besides breaking world, continental and regional records.

American Fred Kerley launched his 2022 season with a second place in 100m at the Kip Keino Classic on his way to winning the 100m world title in Oregon, United States.

Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won women’s 100m in 2022, a season she sealed her fifth consecutive world 100m title while American Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 200m last year on her way to claiming gold in 100m and silver in 200m at the world championships in Hungary.

Our own Ferdinand Omanyala set a new 100m Africa record of 9.77 when he finished second in 2021, won the titles in 2022 and 2023 as he proceeded to win both the Commonwealth Games and Africa 100m titles in 2022.

We urge the organisers to uphold high standards since that has been the yardstick in attracting sponsor.