Kenyan female athletics stars to look out for in 2026
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Reading Time: 5min | Sat. 24.01.26. | 12:40
With no World Championships or Olympic Games on the calendar, the year presents a rare window for athletes to chase world records without the pressure of peaking for global titles
Kenya’s grip on global athletics shows no signs of loosening, and 2026 could prove to be one of the most disruptive and record-heavy seasons in recent history.
With no World Championships or Olympic Games on the calendar, the year presents a rare window for athletes to chase world records without the pressure of peaking for global titles.
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Adding to the intrigue is the inaugural Ultimate event, where only the very best in each discipline will go head-to-head, stripping competition down to pure quality rather than numbers.
In such a high-stakes, elite-only setting, form, timing, and bold tactics could produce unexpected results and major upsets.
Against this backdrop, Kenya’s female stars are perfectly positioned not just to dominate, but to redefine what is possible on the track and the road in 2026.
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Faith Kipyegon (1,500m – and possibly 5,000m)
Kipyegon remains the gold standard in women’s middle-distance running.
Last year, her season began with intent in April when she narrowly missed the world 1000m record at the Wanda Diamond League opener in Xiamen, clocking 2:29.21, just 0.23 seconds shy of Svetlana Masterkova’s 28-year-old mark.
After a relatively quiet spell, Kipyegon returned spectacularly at the Prefontaine Classic, shattering her own 1500m world record for the third time. Her astonishing 3:48.68 made her the first woman in history to dip under 3:49.
In August, the three-time Olympic champion came within touching distance of another historic feat, winning the 3000m in Silesia in 8:07.04, less than a second off Wang Junxia’s 32-year-old world record. The run broke the Diamond League, African, and Kenyan records, and confirmed her status as the only woman to come within five seconds of that long-standing mark.
Kipyegon capped her year by winning a fourth 1500m world title in September and taking silver in the 5000m behind Beatrice Chebet. She rounded off her season with victory at the Athlos Games in New York, running the fastest mile ever on U.S. soil (4:17.78), before producing a sensational 4:06.42 in the exhibition ‘Breaking4’ event, the fastest mile performance ever recorded.
With so many milestones already conquered, 2026 presents a tantalizing question: will Kipyegon finally shift her full focus to the 5,000m, or continue redefining greatness over 1,500m?
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Lilian Odira (800m)
2025 marked a breakthrough year for Odira. At the Tokyo World Championships, she stormed to a personal best of 1:54.62, breaking a 42-year-old championship record previously held by Jarmila Kratochvílová.
The performance earned Odira national recognition, with the Kenya Prisons Service promoting her from Constable to Sergeant.
With confidence and momentum firmly on her side, all eyes are now on what she can deliver in 2026.
Faith Cherotich (3,000m Steeplechase)
Her rise has been swift and commanding. The reigning world 3000m steeplechase champion dominated the 2025 season, securing her first senior global title emphatically with a championship record of 8:51.59, almost five seconds clear of her nearest challenger.
At just 21, Cherotich has already defended her Diamond League title and established herself among the discipline’s elite. With 2026 not featuring a World Championship or Olympic Games, attention is shifting towards the world record.
That mark, 8:44.32, is held by fellow Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech. While Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi is just 0.07 seconds off it, Cherotich is 4.39 seconds adrift.
The question now is whether she can bridge that gap amid fierce competition from her Kenyan-born rival.
Hellen Obiri (Marathon)
Obiri continues to prove that her transition from track to marathon has been nothing short of masterful.
Last year, she claimed the New York City Marathon title in 2:19:51, smashing the course record by an astonishing two minutes and 40 seconds. That came shortly after a runner-up finish at the Boston Marathon, where she set a personal best of 2:17:41.
Though she skipped the Tokyo World Championships, Obiri enters 2026 widely tipped for further dominance on the World Marathon Majors circuit.
Peres Jepchirchir (Marathon)
Jepchirchir’s 2025 season was defined by resilience. Returning from an ankle injury, she accepted a late call-up to Kenya’s marathon team for the Tokyo World Championships and rewarded that faith with a gold medal performance.
She followed it up with a second-place finish at the Valencia Marathon, clocking a personal best of 2:14:43, the seventh-fastest women’s marathon time in history.
Fully healthy again, Jepchirchir is expected to be a major force in 2026.
Joyciline Jepkosgei (Marathon)
Jepkosgei delivered a consistently outstanding year across multiple distances.
She won the Valencia Marathon in a world-leading 2:14:00, becoming the second-fastest Kenyan woman in history.
Earlier in the year, she finished second at the London Marathon in 2:18:44 and claimed victory at the Barcelona Half Marathon with a personal best of 1:04:13.
Her versatility was further underlined when she headlined the elite women’s field at the prestigious tRUNsylvania 10K in Romania.
Jepkosgei’s trajectory suggests even faster times could be on the horizon.
Sharon Lokedi (Marathon)
Lokedi enjoyed a landmark season, securing her third career podium finish at the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:20:07. The highlight, however, was her victory at the Boston Marathon, where she clocked 2:17:22, slashing more than two minutes off an 11-year-old course record.
With growing confidence on the biggest stages, Lokedi is firmly among Kenya’s marathon frontrunners heading into 2026.
Mary Moraa (800m – Possible Comeback)
After two stellar seasons, 2025 proved challenging for Mary Moraa. She managed just one international 800m victory, at the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami, with subsequent wins limited to local competitions.
Diamond League outings in Stockholm, Eugene, and Monaco yielded mixed results, and she finished seventh in the 800m final at the Tokyo World Championships.
Despite the setbacks, Moraa’s potential remains unquestioned, making her anticipated comeback one of the most closely watched storylines of 2026.
Agnes Jebet Ngetich (Track and Road Running)
Ngetich has carved out a unique niche as a dominant force across both track and road. The 10km world record holder, both mixed and women-only, began her 2026 campaign early, anchoring Kenya’s title defense at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.
With defending champion Beatrice Chebet absent, Ngetich was expected to lead from the front, and she delivered.
Her road credentials are equally impressive: at last year’s Valencia Half Marathon, she clocked 1:03:08, the third-fastest time in history, missing the world record by just 16 seconds.
Many believe 2026 could be the year she seriously targets the half-marathon world record.
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