World champions Lilian Odira and Faith Cherotich headline a strong Kenyan squad for next month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Commonwealth men’s 100m champion, Ferdinand Omanyala will return to defend his sprint crown.
Odira and Cherotich, who also claimed medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, are among the standout names in the 52-athlete team unveiled by Athletics Kenya for the multi-sport event.
Kenya will compete across a wide range of disciplines, including the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 100m hurdles, the newly introduced Mile, 5,000m, 10,000m, 3,000m steeplechase, 10,000m race walk, high jump, long jump, triple jump, hammer throw, shot put, javelin, decathlon, as well as the men’s 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays.
Athletics Kenya selected the team following the national championships in Nairobi on Saturday (20 June), where winners of each event automatically secured Commonwealth Games qualification. The remaining two places in each discipline were determined by a panel of selectors.
The process allowed athletes such as Cherotich, the reigning world champion and Olympic bronze medallist in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, to earn selection after receiving a wildcard entry into the trials.
Odira, the reigning world champion over 800m, booked her first Commonwealth Games appearance after securing her third national title in the event.
Veteran javelin thrower Julius Yego will be Kenya’s sole representative in the men’s javelin. The former world champion returns to Glasgow, where he won Commonwealth gold in 2014, having added a silver medal at the Birmingham Games four years ago.
Olympic and Commonwealth 1,500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot will spearhead Kenya’s challenge in the newly introduced Mile event after winning the national trials. He will be joined by Reynold Cheruiyot and Brian Komen.
“Today’s field was very strong. As usual, Kenya’s national trials are very competitive. But I am happy because I believed in myself and my preparation,” Cheruiyot said after his victory.
The experienced middle-distance runner believes he is well positioned to challenge for gold after recently winning the prestigious Dream Mile in Oslo.
“I feel this is a good season for me. I am injury-free and the build-up has gone well since I started preparations last October. My body is responding well. This is my third Commonwealth Games and I am going for gold,” he said.
World bronze medallist Edmund Serem, Simon Koech and Leonard Kipkemoi Bett make up Kenya’s men’s 3,000m steeplechase team, while Cherotich and Celestine Biwott will contest the women’s event.
In the men’s 10,000m, World Cross Country champion Daniel Ebenyo leads Kenya’s charge as he seeks to secure the country’s first Commonwealth title in the event since 2002. Diana Wanza and Miriam Chebet will represent Kenya in the women’s 10,000m, aiming to end a 12-year wait for gold in the discipline.
Elsewhere, national record holder Rukia Nusra Omulisia, based in the United States, will compete in the women’s 100m hurdles. Fellow US-based athlete Irene Jepkemboi, who made her World Championships debut last year, will be Kenya’s sole representative in the women’s javelin throw.
By Maxwell Kumoye
