Zablon Ekwam in a past event/ FILEZablon Ekwam has been ruled out of Kenya’s 4x400m and mixed relay teams after sustaining an injury during training, just as the World Athletics Championships kick off today in Tokyo, Japan.
Ekwam had been named in the squad alongside Brian Tinega, Allan Kipyego, Mercy Aketch, and women’s 800m world champion Mary Moraa. However, sprints coach Julius Mwaniki confirmed Ekwam’s withdrawal following medical advice.
“We talked to him, and he admitted he can only operate at 80 per cent—and for us, that’s not good enough,” said Mwaniki. “The mixed relays are a strong medal prospect, and we can’t afford to take chances.”
He added that the priority now is to allow Ekwam time to recover without aggravating the injury.
Despite the setback, Mwaniki remains optimistic.
“I have a lot of confidence in the team. Aketch and Moraa are clocking 49 seconds, while the men are running in the 44s. These are medal-winning times,” Mwaniki said.
The men’s 4x400m relay heats begin on September 20, with the finals scheduled for the last day of the championships.
Ekwam’s last global appearance was at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, where he teamed up with Kennedy Kimeu, Kelvin Tauta, and Wycliffe Kinyamal.
The quartet clocked 3:01.41 but failed to advance past the heats. The U.S. claimed gold in that race with a time of 2:57.31, followed by France (2:58.45) and Britain (2:58.71).
However, redemption came at the World Relays, where Ekwam, alongside Kelvin Kiprotich, Boniface Mweresa, and Kelvin Kipkorir, shattered the national record. Their time of 2:59.29 in the 4x400m final earned them fifth place.
Ekwam opened his 2025 season at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 12, finishing fifth in the 200m with a time of 20.72. He rebounded with a win at the Athletics Kenya weekend meet on May 16 (20.56) and another victory at Uganda’s Akii Bua Memorial Invitational in the 400m (45.97).
At the Kip Keino Classic on May 31, he placed third in the 400m, clocking 45.01 behind South Africa’s Zakithi Nene (43.76) and Nigeria’s Chidi Okezie (44.98).
Ekwam’s season highlight came during the national championships, where he stormed to victory in the 200m, clocking 20.47 to beat Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala (20.53), and Dennis Mwai (20.73).
