Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi is the latest prominent figure to don the iconic Kenyan bracelet, which has not only become a symbolic fashion accessory worldwide but also a mark of friendship and shared respect across borders.
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.
The 22-year-old revealed that the bracelet was a gift from Kenyan sprinter Zablon Ekwam, a gesture he has continued to honour by wearing it during competitions since receiving it three years ago.
“It was my present from one of the Kenyan athletes, Zablon Ekwam. So I’ve been wearing it since 2023,” he said.
Kebinatshipi shared the story after producing another outstanding performance at the Meeting de Paris on Sunday, June 28, where he stormed to victory in a meeting record time of 43.54 seconds.
The Botswana star took control of the race after the final bend to claim his second Diamond League win of the 2026 season, adding to his victory in Xiamen in May.
Botswana sprinter Collen Kebinatshipi (left) and Kenyan runner Zablon Ekwam. (Photo: Courtesy)
South Africa’s Zakithi Nene finished second after clocking 43.89 seconds, while American Chris Bailey came third with a personal best of 44.06 seconds. Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith placed fourth in 44.09 seconds, Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga was fifth in 44.29 seconds, Trinidad and Tobago’s Jerem Richards finished sixth in 44.53 seconds, and France’s Abdallag Kounta came seventh in 44.88 seconds.
The victory marked an impressive return for Kebinatshipi after taking a break following the World Athletics Relays, where the reigning world champion led Botswana to the 4x400m relay gold medal on home soil in Gaborone.
His winning time was just 0.01 seconds outside his national record set at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. It also became the fastest time ever recorded in the Diamond League series, surpassing Michael Norman’s record from 2022, and was the second-fastest performance in the world this year behind Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi, who ran 43.38 seconds.
“It was a good race. I just wanted to come in and do my best. Yesterday I looked up the meeting record, which was my goal, and now I have even gone faster. I always say that this is my season, so I enjoy every race. Today it went cloudy a bit, so the heat didn´t challenge me that much. I executed the race exactly as I discussed with my coach yesterday,” he said after the run.
The athlete behind the bracelet, Zablon Ekhal Ekwam, has established himself as one of Kenya’s leading quarter-milers while also excelling in the 200m.
Running for Ndura Athletics Club, Ekwam won a 400m race at an Athletics Kenya weekend meeting in March 2021 after clocking 45.65 seconds. He later underwent military training with the Kenya Defence Forces before returning to competition under coach Ian Dexter.
He won the Kenyan national 400m title in June 2023 with a personal best of 45.47 seconds in Nairobi before representing Kenya in both the mixed and men’s 4x400m relays at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
In 2024, Ekwam competed at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where Kenya’s men’s 4x400m relay team set a new African indoor record of 3:06.96. He later improved his personal best to 45.19 seconds at the Kenyan World Relays Trials before running 44.69 seconds at the Kip Keino Classic to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.
He was selected for Kenya’s 4x400m relay team for the World Athletics Relays in Nassau and later earned a place in the country’s squad for the Paris Olympics.
At the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China, Ekwam teamed up with Kevin Kipkorir, Boniface Mweresa and Kelvin Tonui to help Kenya finish fifth in the men’s 4x400m relay final in a national record time of 2:59.29.
He also finished third in the 400m at the 2025 Kip Keino Classic after clocking 45.01 seconds before winning the Kenyan national 200m title in a personal best of 20.47 seconds, beating Ferdinand Omanyala by 0.6 seconds. He was later named in Kenya’s relay pool for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
In June 2026, Ekwam successfully defended his Kenyan 200m title after winning the national championships in 20.82 seconds.
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