Kenyan squad begins medal hunt in Budapest

Ferdinand Omanyala of Team Kenya competes during the Men's 100m Round 1 heats on day five of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.[Kelly Ayodi]

Finally, the time has come. After a long verbal debate, the planets in the athletics universe have aligned and the stars are set to collide in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.

Inside the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, East Africa's pedigree practitioners with the finest athletics shows on the planet -Kenya and Ethiopia -will begin an impossibly brilliant battle with each other under the enchanted gaze of thousands watching from far and wide.