Mixed relay team shines for Kenya with ticket to Worlds

Mercy Koech competes in the 4x100m women's finals during the World Athletics Relays Trials at Nyayo Stadium on April 12, 2025. [File, Standand]

The country’s squad to the World Athletics Relays, the first ever to be hosted on the African continent, finished without a medal but secured a ticket to next year’s World Championships in Beijing, China.

The World Relays action, which was staged in Gaborone, Botswana, came to a close last evening.

Kenya had high hopes of a  medal in the hotly contested mixed 4x400m relay.But the country’s quartet of Mercy Oketch, David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, and Brian Tinega finished fourth.

Kenya had bagged bronze in the 4x400m at the 2025 World Relays in Guangzhou, China.

In the finals last evening, the Kenyan team clocked 3:09.93 in the mixed 4x400m, won by the USA in 3:07.47.

Jamaica and Great Britain took silver and bronze in 3:08.24 and 3:09.84, respectively.

Kenya had qualified for the finals and a ticket to the 2027 World  Championships in Beijing, China, on day one.

So much was still at stake before last evening’s finals as teams battled for tickets to Beijing27 and the final of the World Relays.

However, Kenyan teams that had hopes of bagging medals bowed out of the competition just moments before the finals.

Africa’s fastest 100m sprinter, Ferdinand Omanyala, anchored his compatriots to a season best in the men’s 4x100m and settled for third place in the last qualifying round yesterday.

Despite not making the final, the quartet of Omanyala, Mark Otieno, Ronald Kiprono, and Meshack Babu, which had placed fifth in the qualifying round 1 on Saturday, improved their position to third.

Omanyala said he was content with the performance of his team.

Their Heat was won by China in 37.85, which was a season best. They were followed in second place by Ghana, which recorded 38.09.

“That was a good run. There was a lot of pressure from how we ran on Saturday. I was a bit mad with the boys, but I’m glad that they showed up and did a good job. The exchanges were not as big as the final day,” Omanyala said.

The Commonwealth champion said he would be back for training in readiness for the season.

Yesterday afternoon, repechage could not offer the much-needed redemption for Kenyan squads such as the women’s 4x400m and the men’s 4x400m.

Kenya kicked off the first lap in a slow pace, changing over in the fifth place before tuning up their pace to fourth place at the finish of Heat 1 of the women’s contest.

The contest for qualification to the final and World Championships was clearly between Ireland, France, and Jamaica.

There was a major heartbreak in the men’s 4x400m after Erastus Mbaluka fell in the third 400m.

The team of Dennis Mulongo, Danson Kibet, Erastus Malauka, and Kevin Kipkorir finished sixth in 3:07.71 after it became difficult to catch up with fast-paced leaders following the fall at the qualifying round two.

“I tried to react after discovering that the pace was slower, and as I tried to move towards the outside, one of the athletes stepped on my foot from behind, and I fell. It was bad because we had planned to lower our national record,” said Mbaluka.

The African Championships from May 12 and the  Commonwealth Games in July are the main focus for the men’s 4x400m after the disappointment.

“We were hoping to sail to win the Heat, but it didn’t go as planned. 4x400m is a tough sprint, and if your rivals open a 10m gap. We had to chase time to finish the race. The 400m is now competitive, and we have many youngsters such as Mutinda who have the potential of competing in the next competition,” Kipkorir said.

Senegal won the men’s 4x400m relay Heat 1in 3:01.37, followed by Spain in 3:01.37 and Nigeria (3:01.43).

The men’s 4x400m saw Olympic bronze medalists Great Britain miss out on the World Championships qualification after finishing third in Heat 2.

Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, Tina Clayton, Kadrian Goldson, and Tia Clayton stormed to their second mixed 4x100m world record at the World Athletics Relays, running 39.62 for a gold medal in the final.