Why Mercy Oketch will wait longer to make her Diamond League debut
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Reading Time: 3min | Sun. 17.05.26. | 17:40
Oketch had hoped to carry her red-hot form into China after an impressive campaign both indoors and outdoors
2026 Kip Keino Classic 400m champion Mercy Oketch will have to wait longer to make her much-anticipated Diamond League debut after visa complications ruled her out of the season opener held on Saturday, 16 May in Shanghai.
Excitement had been building after the Shanghai Diamond League organisers listed Oketch among the athletes set to battle for the women’s 400m title in Keqiao, China.
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However, fans were left disappointed when the Kenyan star failed to appear on the start list during the race.
Reports from Sporty FM indicated that Oketch was unable to secure a visa to China after reportedly being denied clearance by the Chinese Embassy.
By 1430 hours on Friday, 15 May, the sprinter was still in Kenya, making it impossible for her to travel in time for the event.
Travelling from Nairobi to Shanghai takes between 15 and 18 hours on average due to the lack of direct flights, with total travel time largely depending on airline connections and layovers.
Oketch had been looking forward to testing herself against elite competition in what would have been her first appearance in the prestigious one-day athletics circuit.
Her absence came just weeks after she played a key role in Team Kenya’s 4x400m mixed relay squad that finished fourth at the World Relays in Botswana on Sunday, 3 May, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal.
The Kenyan quartet had also shattered both the national and African records after clocking 3:09.87, further cementing Oketch’s growing reputation on the global stage.
The Shanghai meeting marked the opening leg of the 2026 Diamond League season, which will run through 15 meetings before concluding in Brussels later this year.
Oketch had hoped to carry her red-hot form into China after an impressive campaign both indoors and outdoors.
Her season began with the indoor circuit in January, where she competed at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń and set a new Kenyan national record.
Since transitioning outdoors, the sprinter has maintained remarkable consistency.
She competed at the Lefika International Relays in March before heading to the Addis Ababa Grand Prix.
At the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Oketch stormed to victory in the women’s 400m, clocking a season-best 50.17 ahead of Paris Peoples, who timed 51.06, while Mercy Chebet completed the podium with a personal best of 51.14.
She also delivered a statement performance at the Simbine Classic, where she clocked a world-leading 35.77 in the women’s 300m to break the Kenyan national record.
In the process, she edged American athlete Kenondra Davis, who crossed the line in 35.81.
With her rapid rise this season, Oketch was widely seen as one of Kenya’s emerging stars in the women’s one-lap race and a strong contender to shake up the international scene.
In her absence, Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce claimed victory in Shanghai after clocking a season-best 49.75.
American Aaliyah Butler finished second in 49.78, while Roxana Gómez completed the podium in 50.24.