Olaba bags double gold at Masters event

Elizabeth Olaba during the 13th Open Africa Masters Athletics Championship at the Nyayo National Stadium, November 26, 2021. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Shot put national record holder Elizabeth Olaba continued to shine at the ongoing 13th Africa Masters Athletics Championships in Nairobi yesterday.

Olaba bagged gold in women's 65-69 discuss throw with a mark of 24.32m at the Nyayo Stadium.

"It was a stress free competition, I did it with a lot of ease," the former Africa javelin record holder told Standard Sports.

On Wednesday, she lived up to expectation when she threw 10.55m to win shot put gold in her age group.

"Shot put is my forte, I'm yet to get a worthy challenger in the continent," she said.

Olaba's national record in shot put (15.39), set during the All Africa Games at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani in 1987, is yet to be broken.

Before that, she had set a continental record in women's Javelin in 1976 which was ultimately broken by Eunice  Nekesa in 1991.

Olaba has taken part in World Masters Championships, winning gold (Shot put), silver (discus) and bronze (Javelin) in 1994 in South Africa.

She finished fourth overall in shot put and discus in the World Masters held in Italy in 2007.

She took part in the 2016 World Masters in Perth, Australia as an official.

She finished ninth overall in discus and shot put in the World Masters held in Malaga, Spain in 2018.

Back at Nyayo, basketball and netball ace Rebecca Sarange threw 26.09m to win gold in women's 35-39 discus throw.

Kisii County Police Commander Francis Kooli, who had clocked 8:12 to win gold in men's 60m sprint on Tuesday, led his batch to win 4x100 relay in men's 50-54 category.

Kenyans dominated the 5000m men categories same as men and women long jump, women's javelin, 5000m women, 100m men and women and 1500m men.

Other disciplines that were dominated by the hosts are shot put women, women's 5000m walk race and men and women's 10,000m races.