Kenyan relay teams get nod for World Championships

World Athletics has cleared Kenya to field three relays teams at the World Championships scheduled for August 19 to 27.

Athletics Kenya director of competitions Paul Mutwii on Wednesday said that World Athletics asked the federation to enter teams in men's 4x100 metres, men's 4x400m and 4x400m mixed relay.

"We are glad to announce that our relay teams have qualified through their superior world ranking," said Mutwii.

"We can now concentrate fully on preparing the teams for the world championships."

Africa and Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala will lead the men's 4x100m team that has Boniface Mweresa, Dan Kiviasi, Steve Onyango, Hesbon Ochieng and Samuel Chege.

Kenya will for the first time since the inaugural 1983 Helsinki championships field a team in the men's 4 x100m race while the men’s 4 x400m makes a return since the 2013 Moscow event.

Kenya has only participated in men’s 4x100m in the 1983 Helsinki event where the team of Alfred Nyambane, Peter Wekesa, John Anzrah and Moja Shivanda was disqualified.

However, since the legendary quartet of Anzrah, David Kitur, James Atuti and James Maina featured for the country in the 4x400m at the inaugural 1983 Helsinki event where they lost in the semi-finals, the country has been to eight world events.

Kenya finished fifth twice in 1987 Rome and 1991 Tokyo but the country’s best ever show came in 1993 Stuttgart when the lethal quartet of Kennedy Ochieng, Simon Kemboi, Abednego Matilu and the late Samson Kitur claimed silver.

Kenya clocked 2:59.82, losing to the United States of America, who won in a world record time of 2:54.29. The team had legendary Michael Johnson.

When the country last fielded 4x400m a team in 2013 Moscow, the quartet of Mike Mokamba, Alphas Kishoyian, Anthony Chemut and Moses Kertich lost in the preliminaries.The men's 4x400m team will have the national 400m champion Zablon Ekwam, national 400m hurdles champion Wiseman Were and Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal.

Also in the men's 4x400m team are Alex Ng'eno, Kennedy Musyoki and Kelvin Sawe Tauta.

Kinyamal, Ekwam, Musyoki will double up in the 4x400m mixed relay team that also has national 400m champion Mercy Okech, Millicent Ndoro and Maureen Thomas.

The Kenya Police team’s victory time of 3:02.02 at the National Championships on June 24 this year saw the country finish 16th in the world ranking.

Kenya “A” team of Commonwealth Games 800 metres champions Mary Moraa and Wycliffe Kinyamal, Zablon Ekwam and Mery Okech won the National Athletics Championships in a national record time of 3:14.64 seconds, a time that left them in 16th place in world ranking.

Then Kenya’s team of Omanyala won the men’s 4x100m race at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in 38.26, a performance that left them in 14th place in their world ranking by the close of the deadline on July 30.  

Countries whose relay teams finished in top 16th in the world ranking by the close of the July 30 deadline automatically qualified for the World Championships.

Relay teams:

Men's 4x100m: Ferdinand Omanyala, Boniface Mweresa, Dan Kiviasi, Steve Onyango, Hesbon Ochieng, Samuel Chege

Men's 4x400m: Alex Ngéno, Wiseman Were, Wyliffe Kinyamal, Kennedy Musyoki, Zablon Ekwam, Kelvin Sawe Tauta

4x400m mixed relay:  Wiseman Were, Wyliffe Kinyamal, Kennedy Musyoki, Mercy Okech, Maureen Thomas, Millicent Ndoro