Kenya's elite runners converge at Thika for second AK meet
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 14.01.26. | 17:44
A total of 19 disciplines will be contested, offering athletes a comprehensive competitive test across the spectrum
Athletes keen to seize early momentum in their 2026 season campaign will get a timely measure of their form this weekend, as the second leg of the Athletics Kenya (AK) Track and Field Weekend Meeting lights up Thika Stadium.
The three-day meet, gunning off on Friday, 16 January, comes on the back of the cancellation of the opening leg that had been scheduled for Mumias in November.
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A total of 19 disciplines will be contested, offering athletes a comprehensive competitive test across the spectrum.
Track events will feature the 100m, 110m/100m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, 10,000m and race walk for both men and women.
The field events promise equally fierce battles, with the hammer throw, javelin, discus, shot put, long jump, high jump and triple jump on the card, alongside the combined events (decathlon and heptathlon) which will test the all-rounders’ versatility and grit.
“The Thika meet is set to play a key role in preparations for a packed 2026 athletics calendar highlighted by the World Relay Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, in May, before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August.
September will then usher in a double global spectacle, with the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, followed by the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Against this backdrop, the Thika competition offers athletes a valuable platform to assess form, sharpen fitness and set the tone for the season ahead,” a statement from AK reads in part.
The 2025 edition of the Thika meet delivered several standout performances that underlined the competition’s growing stature.
Three-time African race walk champion Samuel Gathimba stormed to victory in the men’s 10,000m walk, clocking 41:44.7 ahead of Heristone Wanyonyi and Stephen Ndagiri.
In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Celestine Biwott produced a commanding display to win in 10:16.3, finishing well clear of Dorothy Kimutai and Ann Ndungu.
The men’s 100m saw veteran sprinter Boniface Mweresa turn back the clock with a sharp 10.1 seconds, with Dennis Mwai and Isaac Omurwa chasing home in identical 10.2.
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