Ferdinand Omanyala to lead Kenya at historic World Athletics Relays in Botswana
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 13.04.26. | 07:28
The 2026 edition will mark a historic milestone as the global relay showpiece is set to be hosted on African soil for the very first time
Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, will spearhead Kenya’s charge at the upcoming World Athletics Relays scheduled for Friday, 2 to Saturday, 3 May in Gaborone.
The 2026 edition will mark a historic milestone as the global relay showpiece is set to be hosted on African soil for the very first time.
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Omanyala heads into the competition on the back of a strong start to his outdoor season, having already competed at the Lefika International Relays.
In Botswana, the Kenyan sprint king featured prominently in both relay categories, guiding the mixed 4x100m team to a second-place finish in 41.70 seconds, a new national record, before leading the men’s 4x100m quartet to another second-place result in 39.12 seconds.
Kenya also struck gold in the mixed 4x400m relay, where the quartet of; Allan Kipyego, Mercy Chebet, Kevin Kipkorir and Mercy Oketch combined brilliantly to clock 3:14.04.
The mixed 4x100m team, led by Omanyala and anchored by Oketch, delivered one of the standout performances, setting a new national mark of 41.70 seconds en route to silver.
The men’s 4x100m team, equally impressive, secured second place in 39.12 seconds.
Omanyala will be joined by a strong cast of sprinters in the mixed relays, including Mark Otieno, Moses Onyango and Ronald Koech on the men’s side, alongside female sprinters such as Millicent Ndoro, Diana Aoko and Eunice Kadogo.
In the longer relays, Kenya boasts depth in the 4x400m events, with athletes like: Kelvin Kiprotich Tonui, Dennis Masika Mulongo and George Mutinda Mutuku expected to feature prominently.
The women’s and mixed squads will rely on the experience of Chebet, Oketch, Hellen Syombua Kalii and Lanoline Aoko, among others.
Kenya’s relay resurgence has been evident in recent seasons.
At the 2025 World Relays in Guangzhou, the country delivered a historic performance, with multiple teams breaking national records and securing qualification to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m teams all booked their tickets to Tokyo in what was a landmark outing.
The mixed 4x400m quartet of: David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, Brian Tinega and Mercy Aoko clinched Kenya’s only medal at the event, a bronze after clocking a season-best 3:13.10.
Despite narrowly missing out on qualification, the women’s 4x400m team of: Esther Mbagari, Mercy Chebet, Lanoline Aoko and Mercy Oketch still made history by setting a new national record of 3:28.20.