Kip Keino Classic brings sprinting stars to the home of long-distance running
Olympic stars Marcell Jacobs, Fred Kerley, Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce and Christine Mboma are looking forward to a “fun” run in what will be their first major 100m event this season as the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, hosts the season’s third Continental Tour Gold meeting.
Athletics
Kenya is known as the nation where long-distance athletics champions are made.
But this Saturday (7 May) at the Kasarani Stadium of the capital Nairobi, the African country will be in the spotlight as some of the world’s best sprinters clash in a stacked field at the third edition of the Kip Keino Classic.
Olympic champions from Tokyo 2020 Marcell Jacobs and Filippo Tortu of Italy will go up against USA's Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley, and African record holder - and local star - Ferdinand Omanyala.
"This season I want to win it all," said Jacobs, making his intentions clear on arrival in the Kenyan capital.
“I am feeling ready and feeling amazing.”- Marcell Jacobs.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be in the women’s 100m blocks alongside the 200m Olympics silver medallist Christine Mboma of Namibia**,** and American Javianne Oliver, who won relay silver in Tokyo**.**
Men's 100m: Tokyo 2020 Olympics re-match
After claiming his first-ever World indoor 60m title, Jacobs picked the fast track at Nairobi’s Kasarani stadium to kick off his outdoor season.
The Italian is seeking his second major global title this summer at the World Athletics championships in Oregon after dethroning Christian Coleman in Belgrade in March.
“I am really excited to be here because it is my first time in Africa and I am really excited to compete on the track because I heard it is really good and fast. I am also excited with the athletes competing,” he told reporters on his arrival in Nairobi on Wednesday.
"This is a build-up to Oregon and I hope to run faster and better.”- Marcell Jacobs
The 27-year-old is excited for his first 100m race since Tokyo: the event has attracted some of the Olympic finalists, including silver medallist Kerley.
"It will be another re-match, but we will have several this season. After this, we also have two more races together and I know it is going to be tough. But it is important for me to win this race," said Jacobs.
Kerley is back in the city where he wrapped up his 2021 season with his fastest 200m race ever (19.76).
The American has dropped down from the 400m, the event where he took silver at the 2019 World Championships. Now focused on the shorter sprint events, he hopes he can upstage the reigning Olympic champion.
"He beat me to gold in Tokyo, but I am born ready for competition. I like to compete and that is why I am here to compete with the best. I expect this to be a fast race, and a fun race at the same time," said Kerley.
The fastest man on the field is local star Omanyala, who clocked 9.77 seconds in his second-place finish at the same venue last year.
The Kenyan, who missed the Olympic final, finished second behind Trayvon Bromell to set a new African record.
"It is going to be a tough race and for me, I perform well under pressure. Having both Kerley and Jacobs in is good for the race and good for me,” the newly-crowned national champion told Kenya’s Capital Sports as he wrapped up training in Nairobi.
“This will be a very fast race and it will be won in 9.6 or 9.7 seconds. Such a good competitive field is always recipe for fast times.”- Ferdinand Omanyala to Capital Sports.
Focus on Fraser-Pryce and Mboma in the women's 100m
The women's 100m field at the Kip Keino Classic has also attracted a strong field.
Reigning world 100m champion Fraser-Pryce will go up against Olympic silver medallist Mboma who has added 100m on her list of events this season.
"I am just looking forward to executing a good race and hopefully have some fast times," the nine-time Jamaican world champion Fraser-Pryce said on Wednesday from Nairobi.
"I can’t say the exact time, but I do know it is going to be a good race and I am really looking forward to it especially since last year a lot of guys came down here at the end of the season and had some fantastic times."
In-form Mboma arrived in Nairobi with high expectations.
On 30 April the Namibian teenager set an African U20 record and also a national mark of 10.97 seconds just minutes after sprinting to a new world-leading 21.87 in the 200m.
"This is a lot better than where we were last season,” her coach Henk Botha told Olympics.com.
"We have the youth on our side. A lot of people might say because she is young... it’s wonderful, but I’d say the reason of her being a young athlete it’s easier to do stuff like that. I think this is going to be a great season if things stay the way they are.
"We looked at the 100m for some time and even Christine came to me and said, ‘coach, can we try the 100?’ obviously we tried it and it worked,” he offered on what influenced their decision to add the 100m just months after she debuted in the 200m, dropping down from her preferred 400m.
"The biggest reason for me is that we struggled with the starts and bend running in the 200. I thought that by doing the 100m will help us get that part better in the 200. We will still focus at the 200m as the main event.”
The world U20 champion is hoping to take advantage of the fast track and the high-altitude conditions that are similar to where she trains in Namibia, when she lines up in only her fifth 100m run.
"I love competing in Nairobi. Shelly-Anne is a legend on track and every time it is an honor for me to compete against her," the 19-year-old said in an interview with Olympics.com.
Her training partner Beatrice Masilingi, the world U20 100m champion, will miss the event after pulling a hamstring.
“The 100m is fun for me, a new adventure but I love it." Chrstine Mboma to Olympics.com
Exciting clashes in the 800m and 1500m
There are exciting match-ups as well in the middle- and long-distance races.
The main event is the women’s 3000m steeplechase where Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai from Uganda will look to upstage the Kenyans in their traditional event.
She will be up against last year’s winner Celliphine Chespol, who is also the world U20 3000m steeplechase champion.
Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot is stepping down from his favourite 1500m to test his speed in the 800m.
His compatriots Ferguson Rotich, second on the two-lap event in Tokyo, and Noah Kibet, winner of the 2021 edition, are tipped to dominate the race.
Also watch out for reigning hammer throw Olympics champion Wojciech Nowicki of Poland, who is looking forward to a perfect season debut.
2022 Kip Keino Classic Schedule - Standard Time in Kenya (GMT +3)
12:00 hrs Opening Ceremony
12:40 hrs Javelin Throw Men Discretionary
13:53 hrs 400m Hurdles Men National
14:05 hrs 400m Hurdles Women National
14:17 hrs 1000m Hurdles Men National
14:25 hrs Hammer Throw Women Core
14:55 hrs 400m Men National
15:05 hrs 400m Women Discretionary
15:16 hrs 5000m Men Discretionary
15:39 hrs 5000m Women Discretionary
15:45 hrs Javelin Throw Women Core
16:04 hrs 100m Women Core
16:13 hrs 3000m Steeplechase Men Core
16:24 hrs Hammer Throw Men Core
16:31 hrs 800m Women Discretionary
16:42 hrs 200m Men Core
16:50 hrs 1500m Men Discretionary
17:03 hrs 3000m Steeplechase Women Core
17:22 hrs 200m Women Core
17:31 hrs 800m Men Discretionary
17:42 hrsn1500m Women Discretionary
17:55 hrs 100m Men Core
2022 Kip Keino Classic - How to watch
The Kip Keino Classic will be live streamed on the World Athletics YouTube Channel and on the following networks.