Kenya's 4x100m squad after securing qualification for the World Championships/ HANDOUT
Athletics Kenya senior vice president Paul Mutwii has called on the government to fast-track support for Kenya’s relay teams to train in Miramas, France, before the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Miramas, the high-performance centre that served as Team Kenya’s training base for the 2024 Paris Olympics, was important in preparing the sprint squads, especially the 4x400m mixed relay.
Fresh from a historic showing at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, where three out of four Kenyan teams qualified for Tokyo, Mutwii believes an early return to Miramas is vital to fine-tune the athletes.
“We would like to get a chance to return to Miramas, where we trained for the Olympics,” Mutwii said.
“The relay teams should travel as early as possible to start serious preparations. Early training will be key to assembling a formidable squad.”
Kenya’s 4x100m men’s team, men’s 4x400m, and mixed 4x400m punched their tickets to the World Championships, with the mixed relay quartet capping the outing with a bronze medal.
Mutwii attributed the impressive performance to deliberate systems and structures that AK put in place ahead of the World Relays.
"The team's performance is due to the structures put in place to prepare the team early ahead of the World Relays," he added.
Team manager Kennedy Tanui was satisfied with the relay team's performance, noting they surpassed all expectations.
"We broke all the national records, the biggest achievement in Guangzhou," Tanui said.
It will be a first for the 4x100m team to feature at a World Championships. They clocked a national record of 38.35 to finish third in the opening round of the qualifiers.
The women’s 4x400m also lit up the track, stopping the clock at 3:28.20—another national record—despite not qualifying for Tokyo.
They were initially disqualified for a lane infringement but were later reinstated after a successful appeal by the team management.
Meanwhile, the men’s 4x400m squad delivered a gutsy performance in the final, setting a new national record of 2:59.29 to finish fifth.
"Three of the four teams that went to China qualified for the World Championships with one of the best performances achieved by any relay team in the country. We surpassed expectations. It was one of the best outings," Tanui said.
He credited the success to joint efforts from athletes, coaches, Athletics Kenya and the Ministry of Sports.
"Having concerted efforts from all areas was key to our success. AK ensured we had sufficient training time, and though most stadiums were closed, we made the most out of what we had (Ulinzi Sports Complex. The ministry facilitated the team while coaches and athletes gave their best to get such good results. We have not seen this in Kenyan teams except at the Olympics," he noted.
Kenya's performance is a clear message that the country is ready to wrestle with the global top guns in the sprints.
“From a country not known for sprinting, this performance announces our arrival on the global sprinting map. The world should now take notice,” said Tanui.
He emphasised the need for early preparations to sustain momentum going into Tokyo.
"We have to start preparing early (for Tokyo). The senior vice president (Mutwii) has assured us that the team will head to camp soon," he said.
"We suggested that we go to Miramas since they have state-of-the-art equipment and facilities." Veteran sprinter Boniface Mweresa echoed the need to maintain focus.
“We have achieved something big in the 4x100m, 4x400m men and mixed relay,” Mweresa said.
“Now the real work begins. We must push hard in training, perfect our baton exchanges. We must ensure every athlete is running sub-10.1 seconds in the 4x100m and have more 4x400m athletes clocking 44 seconds."
