- Faith Kipyegon, Mary Moraa and Susan Ejore will be the Kenyan athletes in the event.
The gloves are off ahead of the eagerly anticipated Athlos event scheduled for Thursday September 26 in the United States.
Some of the biggest names in the athletics world including multiple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas and Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay are set to participate in the one day competition set to be staged at the Icahn Stadium in New York.
Several Kenyans have also been confirmed for the event which is an invention of Alexis Ohanian – husband to the legendary tennis star Serena Williams.
Faith Kipyegon, who has had a remarkable season, will square it out with the likes of Tsegay in the 1500m category.
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Speaking ahead of the showdown, Kipyegon described the event as a game-changer for the sporting industry.
“Track and field is a truly global sport, within my event there are women from around the world coming together to challenge each other.
I have made friends from around the world. I believe in female sports competitiveness and friendship goes hand in hand. I hope we can inspire the world to do the same,” she was quoted by the organizers.
Kenya’s Susan Ejore and Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji are some of the other big names expected to rival the duo in the discipline which Kipyegon has dominated in recent years.
Faith Kipyegon
Besides Kipyegon and Ejore, Mary Moraa is another Kenyan runner guaranteed to feature in the event.
Moraa will go head to head with a deep 800m field that has the likes of Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi, the American duo of Nia Akins and Addy Wiley. Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma will also compete in the distance.
The organizer of the event has a set aside millions of money in prize money for the participants, with everyone expected to return home with something.
The winner in each discipline will receive $60,000 (approximately Ksh 7,727, 400) with the second and third finishes bagging $25,000 (3,219,750) and $10,000 (1,287,900) respectively.
In addition, those who finish fourth, fifth and sixth will be awarded $8,000 (1,030,320), $5,000 (643,950) and $2500 (321,975) in that order.
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Grammy Award winning artist Megan Thee Stallion will headline during the evening, D-Nice will DJ and each athlete will get their own walk-on song.
The meeting is intended to highlight women’s track and field and make the sport a spectator-friendly experience by simplifying the number of events down to six.
Athlos will include the 100 m, 100 m hurdles, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m. It will feature a total of 36 athletes competing in these six events, including Gabby Thomas, Alexis Holmes, and Faith Kipyegon
ALSO READ: SportPesa launch revolutionary Tujiamini Initiative to nurture talent
Tujiamini is an initiative that seeks to provide a platform, including up to 30M shillings in funding, for individual, team sports and various talent, in a year-long campaign that will go around the country in a move aimed at evoking the sense of pride in Kenya’s sports and talent ecosystem.
Applicants are urged to submit their applications through www.tujiamini.co.ke