- The 2025 ABSA Kip Keino Classic will take place at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on Saturday, May 31.
- Some of the mouthwatering races that are in store at the 2025 Kip Keino Classic are the 100m men’s and 800m women’s disciplines.
- The biggest race of the day at the Kip Keino Classic is expected to be the 100m men’s showdown where the likes of Ferdinand Omanyala, Bayanda Walaza and Mark Otieno will square it out.
The sixth edition of the 2025 Kip Keino Classic is expected to deliver explosive performances.
From the Javelin contest between the likes of home boy Julius Yego and former world champion Anderson Peters to the crunch track events, fireworks are expected to be witnessed at the 2025 Kip Keino Classic.
The burning excitement among athletics fans revolves around the 100m race where multiple African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala is set to face off with several talented runners.
Will Omanyala deliver in front of the home crowd? Or will a new 100m champion be crowned at the ABSA Kip Keino Classic?
Here are the three unmissable races that will be in offer in the 2025 Kip Keino Classic.
Omanyala versus Bayanda Walaza showdown
The most attractive event at the 2025 ABSA Kip Keino Classic is expected to be the 100m race where the likes of South African teenager Bayanda Walaza will look horns with multiple champion Omanyala.
Omanyala, who set the current 100m African record at the same event in 2021, is the favorite to triumph due to experience.
In addition, the Kenyan heads to the Kip Keino Classic on the back of encouraging performances at the Adidas Atlanta City Games and Rabat Diamond League where he finished inside the top three positions.
However, athletics fans should not rule out Walaza from stunning Omanyala and the other competitors such as Mark Otieno, Elijah Hall and Shaun Maswanganyi at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event.
Similar to Omanyala, Walaza has also had an amazing start to the season that has seen him help South Africa win a 4x100m relay gold medal at the recent World Championships that took place in Guangzhou.
Sarah Moraa versus Shafiqua Maloney
Apart from the Omanyala versus Walaza showdown, the other mouthwatering showdown that will be on offer in the 2025 Kip Keino Classic is the 800m race where the main contenders are Shafiqua Maloney and Sarah Moraa.
Maloney, who hails from St. Vincent and the Grenadines’, is the favorite based on the experience that she has accumulated over the years.
Nonetheless, Moraa has what it takes to stop her and bag the coveted crown that would do wonders in her career.
The reigning World Athletics U20 champion has a personal best of 1:59.39, while Maloney’s lifetime best stands at 1:58.69.
The other athletes to watch out for in this discipline are Dorcas Ewoi, Oratile Nowe, Maureen Chepkurui and Nelly Jepkosgei.
Edmund Serem versus Abraham Kibiwott battle
Lastly, the organizers of the 2025 Kip Keino Classic have assembled together a deep 3000m Steeplechase men’s field.
Some of the main stars in this event where Kenyans have dominated in the past include Edmund Serem and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwott.
The duo have raced against each other in a number of Diamond League Meetings this season, with Serem finishing ahead of Kibiwott in all of them.
Therefore, the ABSA Kip Keino Classic gives the latter a chance to outshine Serem for the first time in 2025.
