Athletics

World champion Lilian Odira produced a season’s best performance to win the women’s 800m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, edging Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, as she sets her sights on Commonwealth Games success and a Diamond League Final berth.

The three-time Olympic champion says she has been battling a hamstring injury since the Shanghai Diamond League and remains confident of returning to top form later this season.

World 3,000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich once again underlined why she is one of the sport's brightest stars, storming to victory in 8:51.74 in her first Diamond League appearance of the season.

The Eugene meeting serves as the ninth stop of the 15-leg series, with valuable qualification points on offer ahead of the two-day Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium, on September 4-5.

Fresh off his impressive 43.54-second victory in the men’s 400m at the Paris Diamond League, Kebinatshipi spoke exclusively to The Eastleigh Voice about the special story behind the Kenyan bracelet he always wears.

Ferdinand Omanyala finished sixth in the men’s 100 metres in 10.02 seconds, continuing his return to form after a difficult spell on the circuit.

The Kenyan speedster arrives in Paris as the current leader of the Diamond Race standings with 16 points.

The AIU said the 30-year-old Kenyan had breached Rule 2.3 ADR on evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection and Rule 2.5 ADR on tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control.

The new USD 10,000 (Sh1.29 million) Fit for the Future Olympian Grant will support every Olympic athlete, regardless of medal success, beginning with Milano Cortina 2026.

Chemnung will be returning to Chicago, where she made her marathon debut in October 2025, finishing fourth over 42 kilometres in a time of 2:18:24 behind Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa and Megertu Alemu, and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri, who completed the podium.

Pamela Jelimo has been elevated to silver in the women’s 800m at the London 2012 Olympics after the IOC completed medal reallocation following anti-doping disqualifications.

Omanyala, the reigning Commonwealth 100m champion, will headline the sprint team as he seeks to defend his title won in Birmingham in 2022. Odira, the world 800m champion, and Cheruiyot, a former world 1,500m champion, are also among the athletes expected to challenge for honours.

The African record holder produced a commanding performance to win the men's final in 10.00 seconds, comfortably ahead of Meshack Babu, who finished second in 10.20, while Mark Otieno settled for third in 10.32.

Athletics Kenya (AK) is set to use performances in Nairobi to select athletes who will represent the country at the international event scheduled for July 23 to August 2 in Scotland.

In addition to the suspension, all of Wanjiru's competitive results from January 16, 2024, have been disqualified. The sanctions include the forfeiture of medals, titles, ranking points and prize money earned during that period.

Cheruiyot rolled back the years with a stunning performance at the historic Bislett Stadium, winning the Dream Mile in 3:48.21 after a dramatic photo finish against American star Yared Nuguse.

The race, scheduled for May 23, 2027, will join an elite group of marathons that includes the Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City and Sydney marathons.

Wanyonyi heads into the meeting, also known as the Bislett games, looking to bounce back from a second-place finish in Rabat on May 31.

Kipkemboi storms to a personal best while Kemuma delivers a composed victory as Kenyan runners dominate the fifth edition of the Nairobi City Marathon in chilly conditions.

The African record holder leads Kenya’s challenge in Rome, with Julius Yego and a strong distance-running contingent also targeting Diamond League success.

World Athletics will introduce a new four-way voting system in 2026, giving fans, athletes, media and the wider athletics community equal influence in selecting the sport’s top performers.

All eyes will once again be on Wanyonyi, who returns to Rabat looking to improve on last year’s meeting, where he finished third in a tightly contested 800m race behind Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela and Britain’s Max Burgin.

With Olympic champions, world record holders and marathon stars all converging on Central Park, the New York Mini 10K is shaping up as one of the most competitive women’s road races of the year and another major stage for Kenya’s distance running dominance.

Organisers confirmed that the event has reached full capacity at 17,000 entrants, rising from 15,000 athletes who competed in the 2025 edition, highlighting increased interest in the annual road race.

The 46-year-old clocked 2:25:44 in a highly competitive women’s elite race dominated by Ethiopian athletes, further underlining her remarkable longevity in long-distance running.

The squad was unveiled on Saturday after two days of intense national trials held on May 22 and 23 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, where emerging middle-distance athletes competed for a place on the international team.

The moment will mark Grace’s marathon debut and one of the most personal chapters in Kipchoge’s decorated running career.

Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala turned the tables in the men’s 100m after finishing runner-up in Shanghai, winning in 9.94 seconds (0.2 m/s). He held off South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, who clocked 10.00, with the United States’ Trayvon Bromell finishing third in 10.03 and Kenny Bednarek fourth in the same time.

Kipchoge emphasised that Africa deserves representation among the world’s biggest marathon races, given the continent’s rich history in long-distance running.

According to investigators, there were no irregularities in the testing or laboratory procedures that could have caused the positive results. Sang was formally notified of the charges on March 11 and immediately handed a provisional suspension pending the outcome of the case.

One of the most anticipated races of the evening will be the women’s 3000m steeplechase, where reigning world champion Faith Cherotich will renew her rivalry with Ugandan Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai.

Kipruto, who rose to global prominence after winning bronze in the men’s 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and later setting a world record in the 10km road race in Valencia, had continued to insist throughout the proceedings that he never used banned substances or methods.

The Premium Weekend Meet, which had earlier been scheduled for May 29-30, will now be jointly conducted during the National Athletics Championships from June 18–20 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

The series was unveiled at Sanctuary Mandela as the foundation marked 27 years since Mandela established the organisation and stepped down as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

South Africa topped the medal table with 20 medals, including nine gold, three silver, and eight bronze. Kenya followed closely in second place with six gold, four silver, and seven bronze medals.

Jackson Tuwei has been appointed interim president of the Confederation of African Athletics following the death of long-serving leader Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, with elections set for 2027.

Kipyegon finished the race in 14:24.14 after a tightly contested finish that was decided in the final metres. Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw pushed her all the way to the line, finishing a close second in 14:24.21, while compatriot Senayet Getachew completed an all-East African podium in 14:24.71.

According to Korir, the trials will not be open to everyone, but will instead feature invited athletes identified through performances at the national primary and secondary school championships held earlier this year.

For Omanyala, it is a chance to confirm that his African sweep can translate into global authority. For Kipyegon, it is the first brick in another carefully built championship year.

Looking ahead, Chesang is already focused on building on his continental success as he targets a step up to the global stage at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, set for July 23 to August 2.

Athletics Kenya President, Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei, described Malboum as a transformational leader whose contribution helped raise the profile of African athletics internationally.

Melese suffered a sudden medical emergency while training. She was taken to a nearby hospital immediately, but doctors were unable to save her life.

Collins Kemboi retains his Geneva Marathon crown in a personal best as Kenya dominates the men’s race with an unprecedented top-five sweep.

The race will carry added significance for the Kenyan as she celebrates her 30th birthday on race day, a milestone that could provide extra motivation as she seeks to announce herself on the global marathon stage with a strong performance in Copenhagen.

The package, branded the “Champion’s Retreat,” is designed to offer the marathon star time to rest and celebrate while experiencing Kenya’s diverse tourism offerings.

The meeting marks the 12th time the two have faced each other on the Diamond League circuit in just four seasons, a remarkable frequency that underlines how closely matched and consistently dominant they have been. 

Cherargei urged the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to zero-rate winnings earned by athletes, arguing that such earnings should not be subjected to heavy taxation.

At State House, Nairobi, a red-carpet reception followed, complete with the Kenyan and East African anthems, before Sawe symbolically handed the national flag to President Ruto.

The long-distance runner made history in London after becoming the first athlete to complete a marathon in under two hours during an official race, clocking a remarkable record time of 1:59:30.

The rankings were decided using each athlete’s best three cross-country performance scores recorded between September 2025 and March 2026.

The milestone was celebrated worldwide, not just by athletics fans. It was considered at the time to be a similar achievement to scaling Mount Everest for the first time, which Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay had done the year before.