Kenya will field three relay teams at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after a record-breaking performance at the just-concluded World Relays Championships in Guangzhou, China.

The men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m relay teams all secured qualification to the global showpiece, in a historic weekend that saw all four Kenyan teams break national records.

Although the women’s 4x400m quartet of Esther Mbagari, Mercy Chebet, Lanoline Aoko and Mercy Oketch narrowly missed out on a ticket to Tokyo, they clocked a new national record of 3:28.20.

Solo bronze medal

The mixed relay team of David Sanayek, Mercy Chebet, Brian Tinega and Mercy Aoko earned Kenya its only medal (bronze) in Guangzhou with a season-best 3:13.10.

After falling short in Round One on Saturday, the men’s 4x100m squad of Boniface Mweresa, Ferdinand Omanyala, Meshack Babu and Steve Odhiambo bounced back in Round Two with a second-place finish in Heat 2, timing 38.51 to confirm their qualification.

The men’s 4x400m team sealed their Tokyo berth in Saturday’s heats and went on to place fifth in the final, clocking a national record of 2:59.29.

Head coach Stanley Towet and team manager Kennedy Tanui hailed the athletes’ resilience and preparation, noting, “Three out of four teams qualified and we set national records in all events. That tells you how well-prepared we were. The team came together excellently.” He went ahead and attributed the success to thorough preparations in Nairobi.

Towet said the Ulinzi Sports Complex meeting the previous weekend gave him confidence in the team’s potential, especially after recording world-leading times. He called for the Tokyo-bound team to be retained and adequately supported.

“Limited gym time was a challenge in our preps. We need better facilitation,” he added.

Tanui echoed the coach’s sentiments, terming the performance as Kenya’s biggest relay success in history.

“All our national records were shattered, and three teams headed to the Worlds. This is massive,” said Tanui.

He further urged the Sports Ministry and Athletics Kenya (AK) to ensure the team has access to quality facilities and exposure.

Africa’s fastest man, Omanyala, described the performance as history in the making, with Kenya’s 4x100m team qualifying for a World Championship for the first time.

‘It’s serious business’

“We’re in the books now. But now it’s serious business. The government and AK need to come through,” he said.

Team debutant Oketch relished racing against the world’s best sprinters, including the USA.

“It was an unbelievable experience. I thank God for the chance,” he said, adding that more milestones are ahead.

Kenya concluded the competition tied for ninth place with Botswana, having both secured a single bronze medal. South Africa topped the medal table (2 gold, 1 bronze), followed by the USA (1 gold, 2 silver) and Spain (1 gold, 1 silver).

Canada, Great Britain, Jamaica, Australia, and Belgium were also among the medal winners.

Team Kenya jetted back home this morning aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1335, with touchdown at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 6.40am.