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L. MathekaRelay athletes headline AK action
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 11.03.21. | 20:05
The second AK track and field weekend meet was initially set to take place in Embu but logistical issues saw AK move all meets to Nairobi
As Athletics Kenya’s (AK) second track and field weekend meet guns off at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani early Friday, 12 March morning, all eyes will be on the sprinters as they hope to catch the eye of selectors to the national trials for Team Kenya to the World Relays.
Kenya is set to hold a national trial on March 26 and 27 to select a team that will represent the country at a 5th consecutive appearance at the World Relays slated for May in Chorzow, Poland. This, after making a mark in Nassau, Bahamas for the opening three editions and in Yokohama, Japan in 2019.
The two-day AK meet’s action will begin with five relay races, starting the program off being the 4 X 100m relay women’s semifinal followed by a 4X 400m women final. The men’s 4 X 400m relay men’s final will then precede the 2 X 2 X 400m mixed relay final.
Majority of the athletes expected to compete in the relays have been in residential ‘bubble’ camp at Kasarani where AK had sent a contingent of 33 runners competing in 100m men, 200m women, 400m men, 400m women, 20km walk race and Javelin throw in the first phase of National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-K)- organized camps.
400m newest sensation Zablon Ekwam, Kenya Defence Forces’ Jared Momanyi, speedster Ferdinand Omanayala, national 400m record holder Hellen Syombua, African junior champion Mary Moraa, Margret Nyairera and Maximila Imali who have since moved to 100m and 200m are some of the sprinters in both the men’s and women’s races expected to light up Kasarani.
Originally intended as an annual event, the World relays was later decided to happen every odd year, the same as the World Championships in Athletics for which it serves as a qualification stage.
The competition format for the first edition included the 4 × 100 metres relay, the 4 × 200 metres relay, the 4 × 400 metres relay, the 4 × 800 metres relay and the 4 × 1500 metres relay.
From the second edition, the 4 × 1500 metres relay was replaced by the distance medley relay However, this was short-lived and was itself replaced by a mixed-gender 4 × 400 metres relay for the third edition. In 2019 the 2 × 2 × 400 m relay and the shuttle hurdles relay were added to the mixed-gender category.
