Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei has raised concerns over Kenya's baton exchanges and urged for swift improvement ahead of next month's World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China.
Tuwei emphasised the need for precision and chemistry among the relay teams, warning that even the fastest sprinters can falter if baton handovers aren’t seamless.
"Relays are won because of the change of baton. From what we saw in National Relays Trials, you need a lot of practice," Tuwei noted.
A squad of 21 athletes was named to represent Kenya in the men’s 4x100m, 4x400m (men and women) and the mixed 4x400m relay.
The men's 100m pool includes Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala and former national record holder Mark Otieno alongside Meshack Babu, Moses Wasike, Isaac Omurwa and Steve Onyango.
The women’s 400m squad is led by World 800m champion Mary Moraa, backed by a formidable line-up featuring Mercy Chebet, Esther Mbagari, Lanoline Owino, Vanice Kerubo, Gladys Mumbe, Hellen Syombua, and Mercy Oketch.
In the men’s 400m, Kelvin Kipkorir leads the pack, joined by Brian Tinega, Allan Kipyego, Kelvin Kiprotich, Boniface Mweresa, David Sanayek and Wiseman Were.
The team will be guided by AK competitions director Kennedy Tanui, assisted by coaches Catherine Kagwira, Stanley Towett, Thomas Musembi, Simon Riga and Edwin Kiptoo. Tuwei urged the selected athletes to gel quickly, build trust and understand each other’s rhythm and timing to sharpen exchanges.
"The officials need to ensure that the area is polished and done properly because relays are won at the baton exchange."
"You have to ensure that as athletes you have perfected your craft and understand each other — who will start and finish — and from there, now you can sharpen up on how to exchange the baton effectively," he said. Ferdinand Omanyala and Mark Otieno were not available during the trials as they were competing at the Botswana Grand Prix the same day.
"I know there are one or two runners who are not there; we gave them a chance to go compete elsewhere, and they will join you eventually," Tuwei said.
Despite the concerns, Tuwei was pleased with the selected team, urging them to put in the work in training ahead of the showdown in China.
"We are satisfied with the selected team that will represent our country in Guanzhou, China. You have to work hard and be very serious," he noted.
He highlighted that Kenya has been a force at the World Relays since its inception despite it undergoing changes over the years.
"Kenya has had a representative in every edition of the World Relay Championships, and the country has had a very good history in the competition, although it has been changing over time."
"In the past, we used to have 4x1,500m and also 4x800m, but now things have changed and we are back to the 4x100m, 4x400m and the 4x400m mixed," he noted.
Kenya has been a consistent participant at the World Relays since the event’s inception in 2014.
At the debut edition in Nassau, Bahamas, Kenya bagged gold in the men’s 4x800m and 4x1,500m and gold and a world record in the women’s 4x1,500m courtesy of Faith Kipyegon, Mercy Cherono, Irene Jelagat, and Hellen Obiri. The women's 4x800m added a silver.
In 2015, the men’s and women’s distance medley relay teams won silver in Nassau, before another silver followed in the men’s 4x800m in 2017.
In Yokohama 2019, Kenya’s mixed 4x400m team clinched bronze.
At the 2021 edition in Poland, Kenya scooped silver in the men’s 4x200m and 2x2x400m mixed relay (Naomi Korir and Ferguson Rotich), while the shuttle hurdles mixed relay team added bronze.
However, the 2024 edition proved a dry spell with no medals won.
Tuwei noted that this year’s relays are not only a qualifier for the World Championships in Tokyo but a key stepping stone in the federation’s long-term plan.
"This is the beginning of our preparations for the World Championships because in itself this is a qualification for the World Championships," he said.
Further, the championships serve as a platform for the federation to assess the athletes' strength and build a strong team for next year's World Relays, which will, for the first time in history, be held in Africa in Botswana.
"We also want to build a strong team as we head into next year because for the first time in history the World Relays will be held in Africa."
"It will be sad that the World is coming to Africa and we cannot send a strong team," he added.
Looking ahead, Tuwei noted the need for building strong relay teams for the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics.
"Next year's World Relays in Botswana will also be a build-up to the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. So these competitions are always a build up to the next major event."
"If you can work as a team and understand each other, then I am sure we can build a very strong team in the future," he noted.
Meshack Babu, who clinched victory in the men’s 100m final at the trials, admitted he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance despite crossing the line first.
“I felt strong in the semifinals, but I wasn’t impressed with my run in the final. I’m happy to have won, but the false start rattled us a bit. Once there’s a false start, you get tension, fearing you might be the next to get disqualified,” he said.
Babu, who missed out on Olympic qualification, revealed that he immediately shifted focus to sharpening his craft for upcoming events.
“I got back to serious training right after missing the Olympic cut. My main goal now is to improve my start off the blocks—everything else is in place, I just need to fine-tune that first phase,” he added.
In the men’s 400m, Kelvin Kipkorir was upbeat after clocking a new personal best of 45.24, down from his previous mark of 45.66.
“I’m pleased with today’s performance. This team is solid—we are the best eight from the trials, and the times we have posted show that we’re ready for the challenge in China,” Kipkorir noted.
