Refugee athletes join Kenyan trials as World Relays and African Championships loom
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 08.04.26. | 15:37
The trials promise high-level competition across track and field, blending experienced champions with emerging talent, and now an international flavour from the refugee athletes.
Five refugee athletes are set to compete in the three-day combined World Relays and African Senior Championships trials, beginning Thursday at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
The group is coached by Janeth Jepkosgei Buseinei, the 2008 Olympic 800-meter silver medallist.
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Leading the contingent is South Sudan’s 800m specialist and 2024 Olympian Perina Lokure Nakang, joined by compatriots Lokoro Dario (5,000m) and Solomon Ayela Okeny (400m).
Sudan’s 200m sprinter Kun Waar Liem and Ethiopia’s 1,500m runner Abdifatah Aden Hassan complete the quintet, adding an international dimension to the trials.
Their participation adds intrigue to a strong Kenyan field, with Athletics Kenya having invited over 800 athletes for the three-day showcase.
In the sprints, the season's fastest Kenyan, Brown Muthara, leads the men’s 100m and 200m events, taking on national champion Meshack Babu and a host of emerging talents.
On the women’s side, experienced campaigner Millicent Ndoro faces reigning 100m champion Esther Mbagari in what promises to be a tight contest.
The one-lap specialists will also be in the spotlight.
Mercy Oketch, national outdoor and indoor record holder, spearheads the women’s 400m charge, while national champion George Mutinda anchors the men’s field.
Middle-distance action is highlighted in the women’s 800m, where world champion Lilian Odira will battle Sarah Moraa and Mary Moraa.
Longer distance events feature 2023 African 10,000m champion Janeth Chepng’etich and 2023 World U20 cross country champion Ishmael Rokitto, who headline the grueling 25-lap races.
In the field events, attention turns to javelin star Julius Yego, 2016 Olympic silver medallist and five-time African champion, whose dominance spans Porto-Novo 2012, Marrakech 2014, Asaba 2018, Port Louis 2022, and Douala 2024.
Yego is set to defend his reputation with another commanding display, while the women’s javelin circle welcomes 2023 African U20 silver medallist and national record holder Irene Jepkemboi.
The trials promise high-level competition across track and field, blending experienced champions with emerging talent, and now an international flavour from the refugee athletes.
