Christine Njoki sets sights on Tokyo after Nairobi City Marathon conquest
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 07.07.25. | 10:03
Her performance in Sunday’s race has given her a confidence boost ahead of the track showdown and she believes that she is fully ready for the trials
Christine Njoki made a statement on Sunday at the Nairobi City Marathon, storming to a dominant victory in the women’s 10K race and is now setting her sights firmly on the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo.
The championship will be held between Saturday, 13 and Sunday, 21 September.
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With national trials looming, the 26-year-old showed she means business, crossing the finish line in 30:04, comfortably ahead of her closest challenger, Diana Wanza, who clocked 30:32. Phena Yego came in third with 30:35.
In her post-race interview, the athlete admitted that she felt confident ahead of Sunday’s race and was assured of a victory come what may.
“I felt confident heading into the race. My training was solid, and I knew I could handle whatever came my way,” Njoki said in an interview with Athletics Kenya Media.
Now, all eyes are on the Tuesday, 22 July, trials, where Njoki plans to compete in the 10,000m event. Her performance in Sunday’s race has given her a confidence boost ahead of the track showdown, and she believes that she is fully ready for the trials.
“Today’s race was a good test for me. I believe I’m in the right shape to compete at the trials and earn a place on the team to Tokyo,” she added.
In the men’s race, Amos Kiprotich, who had never run at the Nairobi City Marathon before, raced like a seasoned pro on Sunday.
In a tightly contested men’s 10K race, Kiprotich unleashed a devastating finishing kick to edge out Brian Kibor and Zakariah Kiriko in a dramatic sprint to the line. His winning time of 26:58 was just a second faster than Kibor’s 26:59, with Kiriko close behind in 27:00.
He discussed the tactic which worked for him in his first-ever race in the capital to beat seasoned athletes.
“It was my debut here, and I knew I had to be smart. I pushed early up to 6km, then worked with the front pack until it came down to the finish,” Kiprotich recounted.
Despite the pressure from the chasing duo, Kiprotich remained calm and trusted his strength.
“I had faith in my kick. The others were really strong, but I held on and managed to pull through,” he said.
Kiprotich now plans to regroup and assess his options moving forward. “This was a great start. Now I’ll head back and figure out my next step.”
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