Mixed 4x400m relay medal caps Kenya's "best weekend" in China
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 12.05.25. | 11:09
After a tough outing in Bahamas last year, Kenya finished with one bronze, and secured three Tokyo World Championships slots
Kenya’s sprint star Ferdinand Omanyala’s assessment of the 2025 World Athletics Relay Championships being “the best weekend” might not have been overstated, given the bars they went over on the weekend.
Moments after Kenya’s 4x100m team had sealed qualification for the 2025 World Athletics Championships for the first time in 42 years, the mixed 4x400m relay team made more history, winning the country’s only medal at this year’s championships.
Bronze, and a ticket to Tokyo!🏷️#Teamkenya concluded its campaign at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou on a high, clinching bronze in the 4x400m mixed relay clocking 3:13:10.
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) May 12, 2025
The nation’s sole medal at the event.🥉🇰🇪
David Sanyaek opened with a composed first leg,… pic.twitter.com/xrWQT3sHxl
Anchored by former national 400m champion Mercy Adongo Oketch, Kenya’s team of David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, and Brian Onyari Tinega took bronze in the Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay, finishing in a season-best time of 3:13.10.
The medal was Kenya’s first in the event since the 2019 Yokohama World Relays, and with it, a place in September’s global championships in Tokyo, Japan.
“We thank God for this medal after failing to secure anything last year in the Bahamas,” Sanayek, who ran the open leg, said after the race.
“The morale was high, and that is what spurred us to a podium finish.”
Oketch, on the other hand, labelled the team’s performance “interesting and fascinating,” saying, “This is just the beginning. The team is looking forward to an even better showing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.”
Kenya battled Australia at the halfway stage, but a 44.16 effort from Johnnie Blockburger on the third leg gave the USA a comfortable lead, with Australia following closely behind.
Lynna Irby-Jackson, a regular fixture on USA’s relay teams in recent years, extended the lead on the final leg with a stunning 49.53 split, crossing the line in 3:09.54, the eighth-fastest performance in history.
Missed the video? #TeamKenya ran 3:13:41 and finished 3rd#WorldRelays2025 #TeamKenya pic.twitter.com/TZ1WYMrX4p
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) May 10, 2025
Australia finished second in an Oceanian record of 3:12.20, while Kenya held on to third place ahead of world and Olympic medalists Great Britain & NI (3:14.74).
That was just one of three feathers in Kenya’s cap, with the men’s 4x400m relay team (comprised of Zablon Ekwam, Kelvin Kipkorir, Boniface Mweresa, and Tinega) also earning a World Championships slot in September, thanks to a 2:59.29 in Sunday’s qualifiers.
