Mboma, Masilingi, Ta Lou to clash at Kip Keino Classic
Namibia's Christine Mboma celebrates after taking silver in the women's 200m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 3, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Ta Lou, who settled fourth in 100m and fifth in 200m at the Tokyo Olympic Games, and Mboma will bring their battle to Nairobi after their meeting in women’s 200m final in Zurich
- Kip Keino meeting director Barnaba Korir noted that it won’t be the first time Ta Lou, Mboma and Masilingi are touring Kenya
- Ta Lou, the two-time Africa 200m champion, last competed in Nairobi during the 2010 Africa Senior Championships where she reached the semi-finals in 100m while lost in the first round in 200m
World 100m bronze medallist Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Namibian teenagers Olympic 200m silver medallist Chrsitine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, will renew their rivalry in women’s 200m at the Kip Keino Classic on September 18 in Nairobi.
Ta Lou, who settled fourth in 100m and fifth in 200m at the Tokyo Olympic Games, and Mboma will bring their battle to Nairobi after their meeting in women’s 200m final in Zurich, the 2021 Diamond League finale Thursday evening.
The fast-rising Mboma was still smoking hot from her explosive 200m victory in women’s 200m in Brussels last Friday where she won on her Diamond League debut in 21.84 seconds, stunning a strong field.
Mboma edged out Olympic 100m silver medallist Shericka Jackson from Jamaica and World 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith of United States in 21.95 and 22.04 respectively.
Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) and Masilingi, the World Under-20 100m and 200m silver medallist, came in fourth and fifth in 22.45 and 22.50 respectively.
Kip Keino meeting director Barnaba Korir noted that it won’t be the first time Ta Lou, Mboma and Masilingi are touring Kenya.
“Namibians set the World Under-20 Championships at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani last month alight with their scintillating shows,” said Korir, adding that more conformations were expected for the final leg of the World Athletics Continental Golf Tour after the Zurich event.
Mboma and Masilingi reached the 200m final at the Tokyo Olympics and while Mboma claimed silver, Masilingi finished fifth as they lost to Jamaican sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah.
In Nairobi, Mboma won the World Under-20 200m title in a championship record time of 21.84 as Masilingi settled for silver in personal best 22.18 but Masilingi had earlier picked silver in 100m, losing the tussle to Jamaican Tina Clayton.
Nevertheless, the teenagers have already set the stage for their possible dominance over the short distances races in future.
Ta Lou, the two-time Africa 200m champion, last competed in Nairobi during the 2010 Africa Senior Championships where she reached the semi-finals in 100m while lost in the first round in 200m.
However, Ta Lou’s last visit was when she was the chief celebrity guest during the 2019 Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Award (Soya) Gala that happened in January last year in Mombasa.
Mboma has personal best 21.81 in 200m from the Tokyo Olympics final while Ta Lou and Masilingi have 22.08 and 22.18 respectively.
Korir disclosed that World 100m silver Fred Kerley from United States has joined the men’s 200m race and will face-off with the likes of Commonwealth Games 400m champion Isaac Makwala from Botswana and the Nairobi World Under-20 200m bronze medallist Sinesipho Dambile from South Africa.
Kerley and Makwala were to meet in the men's 200m, final in Zurich Thursday evening before heading to Nairobi.
Makwala, 35, is fresh from winning his 200m race in World Athletics Gold Tour in Hengelo on June 6 before finishing third and fifth in the Diamond League legs of Oslo (June 10) and Paris (August 28).
Besides winning bronze in men’s 200m at the world junior event, Dambile anchored South Africa to victory in the 4x100m relay.
