TOKYO 2025: Mercy Oketch defies odds to cruise into 400m semi-finals
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 14.09.25. | 16:56
Oketch will line up in the semi-finals on Monday evening, where she faces another stern test against McLaughlin-Levrone, Naser and Jamaica’s Charokee Young
Kenya’s Mercy Oketch continued her breakthrough season on Sunday, September 14, as she advanced to the women’s 400m semi-finals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old clocked 50.76 seconds to finish third in her heat, securing automatic qualification.
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The race was won by American star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who eased across the line in 49.41 seconds, while Chile’s Martina Weil came second in 50.61.
Oketch’s progression adds to Kenya’s growing footprint in the sprinting events, a territory historically dominated by the Caribbean, North America, and Europe.
Her performance showed composure against some of the world’s best, proving that her form this year is no fluke.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles, was making her debut at a global championships in the flat 400m.
She looked untroubled as she glided home, underlining her pedigree ahead of the semis.
Her time ranked second overall on the day, with Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion, leading all qualifiers in 49.13 seconds.
For Oketch, the result capped yet another highlight in what has already been a sensational 2025 season.
She struck gold in June at the Meeting de Marseille, setting a meeting record of 50.89 seconds ahead of established names like Britain’s Olympic medalist Laviai Nielsen.
She also played a pivotal role at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, producing a 49.77-second split in the 4×400m mixed relay that propelled Kenya to bronze and secured their team’s place in Tokyo.
Back home, she dazzled at the Kip Keino Classic, smashing the national record with a 50.14-second run that confirmed her qualification for these championships.
Her rise has not gone unnoticed in Kenya either.
Representing Moi Airbase, she swept honours at the Military Track and Field Championships, cementing her status as the country’s new face of one-lap running.
Oketch will line up in the semi-finals on Monday evening, where she faces another stern test against McLaughlin-Levrone, Naser, and Jamaica’s Charokee Young.
A place in the final would not only mark a personal milestone for the young sprinter but also set up the possibility of Kenya’s first-ever women’s 400m medal at the World Championships.
