By KPC Sports Correspondent
Kenya’s mixed 4x400m relay team delivered a standout performance on the opening day of the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, securing qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
The quartet of George Mutinda, Mercy Oketch, Kelvin Tonui, and Mercy Chebet impressed with a strong second-place finish behind Great Britain, clocking an area record of 3:09.87.
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Great Britain won the race in a world-leading time of 3:09.69, while Italy completed the podium in 3:10.60.
The result marked Team Kenya’s biggest highlight of the day, as the squad began its campaign across multiple relay events with mixed fortunes.
In the mixed 4x100m relay, Kenya narrowly missed out on the podium after finishing fourth in a season-best time of 41.35 seconds.
The team of Moses Wasike, Millicent Ndoro, Dennis Mwai, and Mercy Oketch placed behind Australia, who sealed third place in 40.78 seconds through Jai Gordon, Lakara Stallan, Calab Law, and Chloe Mannix-Power.
Jamaica dominated the race, with Ackeem Blake, Kadrian Goldson, and twins Tia and Tina Clayton storming to victory in a world record time of 39.99 seconds.
Great Britain finished second in 40.72 seconds.
Kenya’s men’s 4x100m relay team also fell short of the podium, placing fifth in 38.50 seconds.
The quartet of Ferdinand Omanyala, Mark Otieno, Ronald Koech, and Meshack Babu finished behind Jamaica, while Canada, led by Andre De Grasse, claimed top honours ahead of Germany and Great Britain.
The women’s 4x400m relay team of Lanoline Aoko, Gladys Ngure, Margaret Tajeu, and Moureen Wafula endured a difficult outing, finishing eighth in 3:35.90.
Canada won the race, with Italy and Poland taking second and third places respectively.
In the men’s 4x400m relay, Dennis Mulongo, Kipkorir Rotich, Erastus Mbaluka, and Danson Kibet finished sixth in 3:02.70.
South Africa claimed victory, while Portugal and Zimbabwe completed the podium places.
Despite mixed results across the board, Kenya’s qualification in the mixed 4x400m relay provided a major boost and underlined the country’s growing strength in relay competitions ahead of the global championships in Beijing.
