Mweresa details injury setback that cost him place at World Relays
.jpg)
Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 30.06.26. | 15:36
The experienced 400m runner was among the notable absentees when Kenya competed at the World Athletics Relays in Botswana
Kenyan 400m sensation Boniface Mweresa has shared details of the injury nightmares that denied him the chance to compete at the World Athletics Relays in May.
Download our Mozzart Sport app for more news
Mweresa revealed that a hamstring tear and a subsequent fall during the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Championships disrupted what had promised to be a strong start to his season.
The experienced 400m runner was among the notable absentees when Kenya competed at the World Athletics Relays in Botswana, where the mixed 4x400m relay team of David Kapirante, Mercy Chebet, Brian Tinega, and Mercy Oketch claimed a historic bronze medal, Kenya's first in the event since 2019.
The men's 4x100m relay team also made headlines after lowering the national record.
Mweresa explained that his problems started during the Bingwa Fest National Finals in Meru on Sunday, 5 April, where he sustained a hamstring injury while anchoring the 4x100m relay.
"I sustained the injury during the Bingwa Fest finals in Meru. I was running in the 4x100m relay when I pulled my hamstring. Since then, I've been undergoing rehabilitation. I opted out of the World Relays in Botswana because I wasn't fully fit," Mweresa said.
When he was making progress, another incident slowed his recovery.
Competing at the KDF Championships in early June, Mweresa crashed onto the track during another relay race, injuring both knees and aggravating his hamstring.
"Then, during the KDF Championships, I fell while running the 4x100m relay and landed on my knees. Since then, I've been dealing with persistent pain in both my knees and my hamstrings.
I've been managing it carefully, and although the injury is still there, it's responding well to treatment," he added.
Rather than rush his return, Mweresa and his team focused on rehabilitation, a decision that paid off during the Athletics Kenya trials for the 2026 Commonwealth Games at Nyayo National Stadium.
The national record holder looked sharp throughout the competition, clocking 47.96 seconds to win his opening heat before improving to 45.36 seconds in the semifinal.
He capped off the weekend by running 44.89 seconds to finish second in the final and qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The performance has boosted his confidence despite not yet being at 100 per cent.
"I'm hopeful that over the next two weeks I'll be back to full fitness. My coach, instructor and physiotherapist have done an incredible job.
To open my season with a 44.89 is something that has never happened to me before, so I'm encouraged by the progress," he said.
The rehabilitation period also offered Mweresa an opportunity to observe his rivals from the sidelines, something he believes has strengthened his mindset ahead of the remainder of the season.
"During rehabilitation, I had the opportunity to watch my competitors train. Seeing the work they were putting in helped me assess where I needed to improve, and it motivated me to come back even stronger," he said.
Mweresa has been instrumental in Kenya's recent relay resurgence. At the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, he helped the men's 4x400m relay team set a national record of 2:59.29 to qualify for major international championships.
He also featured in the men's 4x100m quartet that posted a national record of 38.35 seconds.
.jpg)