Fireworks expected at third leg of AK track and field meet

Two days of thrilling and brilliant action beckons as athletes prepare to clash at the third Athletics Kenya track and field weekend meets tomorrow and Saturday.

From Olympians to African champions and to national record holders, top guns are readying for a big battle for honours.

Embu Stadium was set to play host to the third leg, but was shifted to Kirubia Stadium before it was finally moved to the Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi.

Apart from the men’s 100m where African and national champion Ferdinand Omanyala and former national record holder Mike Mokamba are squaring it out, athletics enthusiasts have a rich menu of showstoppers.

A month ago, at the Nyayo National Stadium, where the third leg will be staged tomorrow and Saturday, 165 sprinters lined up for the men’s 100m race, and the result was 13 heats.

The women’s 400m has attracted among others national record holder in the distance Hellen Syombua and Olympian Mary Moraa.

Syombua competed in the women's 400m event at the 2019 World Championships. She did not advance to compete in the semi-finals and she will be seeking to stamp authority.

In June 2021, she qualified to represent the country at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Abel Kipsang, the 25-year-old track star who set an Olympic record of 3:31.65 in the semifinals of 1500m at the 2020 Summer Olympics, but which was lowered by Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the finals, is proving that he is the man to watch in the distance.

Apart from setting in motion the battle for slots in the national teams to World Athletics Championships that will take place in Eugene, USA, in July and the Commonwealth Games scheduled for Birmingham, UK, in August, the weekend meet will also be used by athletes in preparing themselves for Africa Senior Championships set for Mauritius in June.

The fourth and final track and field will be held at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega on March 19, ahead of the national championships which will be run on April 28 to 30.

AK Nairobi chairman Barnaba Korir said the athletics fans will be treated to sizzling races. He said 100m might be the most exciting in the two-day show.

“The 100m race might be the shortest track event but certainly, with Omanyala and Mokamba among others, it might be the most exciting. Nyayo Stadium will burst into life this weekend with some sprinting action lined up at the 3rd weekend meet,”Korir said.

High jumper Mathew Sawe, the two-time African champion is also expected to produce a brilliant display at the Nyayo Stadium. He holds a personal best of 2.30m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in), which is the country’s record for the event.