- Here are the collated results for the Kip Keino Classic 2026.
- The seventh edition of Africa’s only World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting was held on Friday, April 24, 2026.
- Among the standout performances were Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s 1500m and the 100m races by Gabby Thomas and Ferdinand Omanyala.
The seventh edition of the Kip Keino Classic 2026, Africa’s only World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, delivered an unforgettable spectacle under the floodlights of Nyayo Stadium on Friday, April 24.
It all unfolded beneath a buzzing atmosphere as Olympic champions, world leaders, and rising stars produced superb performances, marking a new era for the Nairobi showpiece.
The event featured a first‑ever night schedule, a newly resurfaced track, and the introduction of Wavelight pacing technology, all of which contributed to a string of meeting records and world‑leading marks.
Here are the full results and a recap of what went down on Friday at Nyayo National Stadium.
Kip Keino Classic 2026 Recap
Ferdinand Omanyala reclaims the Kip Keino 100m title
The African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala reclaimed his men’s 100m crown at the Kip Keino Classic 2026 with a dominant display.
He recovered from a crawling start to finish in style, clocking a season-best 9.96 seconds.
The final core track event of the evening was a stop-start affair, with the race getting underway on the third attempt.
ALSO READ: Africa’s fastest man Omanyala storms to gold with sub-10 finish at Kip Keino Classic 2026
South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, who finished fifth in the 100m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, was shown a red card for a false start.
Omanyala finished well ahead of South Africa’s Rivaldo Roberts (10.12), while Canadian veteran Aaron Brown crossed the line in third place in 10.15.
The Kenyan has ruled the 100m event at the Kip Keino Classic since it was first held in 2020, with victories in 2022, 2023, and now his third this year.
He set the African record of 9.77 at the 2021 edition with a second-place finish behind Trayvon Bromell.
Gabby Thomas puts on a show in the 100m and 200m
American sprint star Gabby Thomas emerged as one of the standout performers of the meeting, completing an emphatic sprint double in the women’s 100m and 200m.
She won the 100m, clocking 11.01 into a headwind, before returning later in the program to blow away the field in the 200m with 21.89 the fastest time in the world this season.
In the 200m, Thomas managed to beat Sturgis to the line, with her countrywoman finishing second in a personal best of 21.93. Setting a lifetime best, Kenya’s Milicent Ndoro rounded out the podium in 23.21.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 200m, South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile produced a lifetime best to claim victory.
The 24-year-old upset Jamaica’s world bronze medallist Bryan Levell with a stunning run at the 2026 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold, dipping at the line in 19.77 seconds.
Dambile chopped 0.20 seconds off his previous personal best, launching himself into second place on South Africa’s all-time list.
Going toe-to-toe with Levell, Dambile had a slight advantage coming out of the bend before he activated the afterburners to pull away from the Jamaican.
Levell finished second behind the South African in 19.93, with Cameroon’s Claude Itoungue Bogognie following in third with 20.51.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi wins the 1500m in his debut race at that distance
Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi delivered one of the night’s most talked‑about performances by stepping up to the 1500m and defeating a specialist field.
Wanyonyi timed his race perfectly to win in a personal best of 3:34.11, showcasing his speed endurance and tactical maturity in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
ALSO READ: Emmanuel Wanyonyi clinches gold in 1500m debut at Kip Keino Classic
He shrugged off the pressure from fellow countryman Reynold Cheruiyot, who finished second in 3:34.73, while they locked up a podium sweep with Kyumbe Munguti seizing third place.
Meanwhile, in the women’s 1500m, Miriam Cherop emerged victorious after clocking 4:08.49, ahead of Ethiopia’s athletes who grabbed second, third, and fourth spots respectively.
Deseta Tadele came second with a personal best of 4:09.55, followed by Sifen Dageta at 4:10.20.
Lilian Odira edged out by Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew in the 800m
Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew claimed victory in the women’s 800m, running 1:58.79 ahead of Kenya’s Lilian Odira, as the region once again demonstrated its depth in middle‑distance racing.
In the men’s category, Kelvin Loti Kimtai won in 1:43.63, just 0.02 off his PB. Alex Kipngetich Ngeno was second (1:44.12), while Noah Kibet and Biruk Tadese both set PBs.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Norway’s Amalie Iuel delivered one of the most technically accomplished races of the meeting, clocking a world‑leading 54.12.
The performance broke her own meeting record and confirmed her early‑season dominance at the distance.
In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Kenya’s Joyce Jepkogei Biiwot led from the front to win in 9:55.26, holding off Ethiopia’s Zeritu Daba in a race that reaffirmed Kenya’s traditional supremacy in the event.
The Kip Keino field events results
The field events produced some of the most historic moments of the meeting, led by Camryn Rogers (Canada) in the women’s hammer throw.
The Olympic and world champion unleashed a massive 80.03m effort in the final round, setting both a meeting record and an African all‑comers’ record. Rogers produced multiple throws beyond 78 metres.
Her compatriot Ethan Katzberg continued his remarkable run in Nairobi by winning the men’s hammer throw with a world-leading 82.43m, securing his third consecutive Kip Keino Classic title.
Ukraine’s Olympic bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan finished second, while Czech thrower Volodymyr Myslyvchuk claimed third.
ALSO READ: Julius Yego misses podium at Kip Keino Classic 2026 but feels good about the result
Meanwhile, Kenya’s former world javelin champion Julius Yego narrowly missed the podium at the Kip Keino Classic 2026.
Yego finished fourth on Friday at Nyayo Stadium with a 79.87m throw in a competition won by Sri Lanka’s javelin star Rumesh Tharanga, who stunned the crowd with a powerful 89.28m heave to snatch gold which was just after his second above-89m performance within 30 days.
Tharanga set a new meet record, erasing the previous mark of 87.35m set by Belgium’s Timothy Herman in 2023.
Making his Kip Keino Classic debut, Pathirage delivered a strong showing, finishing ahead of Germany’s Thomas Rohler, the 2016 Olympic champion, who managed 83.33m for silver. South Africa’s Douw Smit secured bronze with a season-best 81.19m.
click link to get all the Kip Keino Classic 2026 results