Steven Onyango and Boniface Mweresa during a training session at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Langata, Nairobi on May 7, 2025. Photo credit: Pool
Kenya men’s 4×400 metres and mixed 4x400m relay teams stormed to the final of the World Athletics Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China on Saturday.
The outstanding feats earned them tickets to the World Athletics Championships scheduled for September 14 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan.
Kenya men’s 4x100m and women’s 4x400m, who failed to qualify for Sunday’s finals still have an opportunity of qualifying for the world championships in the second qualifying round on Sunday.
The eight nations that reach the finals of their respective events qualify directly to this year’s Tokyo World Championships.
However, six more teams will earn tickets from the second qualifying races on Sunday.
The top 14 teams in each event, except the mixed 4×100 metres, will earn the right to compete at the World Championships.
Running the second leg, team captain Boniface Mweresa led from the front with the fastest lap time of the team of 44.52 seconds as Kenya finished second in 3:00.88 seconds. France won the race in 3:00.30.
Zablon Ekwam started for Kenya crossing the line in 45.73 as Mweresa powered Kenya to the lead before handing over the baton to Brian Tinega for a time of 45.74.
Kelvin Kipkorir anchored in 45.73 as Kenya set the third fastest time in the qualifying round.
The performance ensured Kenya returns to the biennial World Championships men’s 4x400m relay for the first time in 12 years.
The last time Kenya had a men’s 4x400m team at the world championships was in Moscow 2013.
“It’s a great feeling to qualify for the finals and most importantly to the world championships,” said Kipkorir, who called for proper preparations ahead of Tokyo.
Ekwam noted that getting to qualify for the world championships meant a lot to the team.
“Our message is clear to those who doubted us. The best is yet to come from us,” said Ekwam.
“We have really worked for this performance back in Kenya and it’s amazing that everyone put his best foot foe3ard,” said Tinega.
Mercy Oketch (45.69) anchored the 4dx400m mixed relay team of Kipkorir (45.69), Mercy Chebet (51.91) and David Sanayek (45.45) to third place in season best 3:13.41 in heat two.
The time was enough to see the team qualify for the final for the first time since 2019 Yokohama when they claimed bronze.
Despite running Kenyan record in men’s 4x100m to finish third, the Ferdinand Omanyala-lead team failed to make the final.
The team returned a blistering 38.35 but still missed out on the direct qualification for the world championships.
Omanyala (9.07), Boniface Mweresa (10.69), Meshak Babu (9.54) and Steve Onyango (10.69) shattered the previous national record of 38.28 set at the 2022 Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Saint Pierre, Mauritius.
However, the Kenyan quartet have a last opportunity to earn a place for Tokyo in the second qualifying round today. They must finish in top five in the qualifier to get the ticket.
Kenya has a team of 23 athletes for the two-day championships that conclude on Sunday.
The championship has brought together 730 athletes from 43 countries competing in six disciplines.
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