The 2015 African 400m silver medallist, Boniface Mweresa, has set his sights on the 2026 World Indoor Championships as he looks to ignite another successful campaign on the global stage.
The 21st edition of the World Indoors is scheduled for March 22–20 at the Kujawsko-Pomorska Arena in Torun, Poland.
Mweresa believes next year’s indoor competition will provide the perfect platform to fine-tune his form ahead of the World Relays in Botswana from May 2-3, marking Africa’s first time hosting the prestigious global event.
“Before the World Relays, we have the Indoors. I think it’s a good place to build up for 2026,” Mweresa said. The 31-year-old is no stranger to the global Indoor showpiece.
He was part of the Kenyan quartet at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where he teamed up with Wiseman Were, Zablon Ekwam and Kelvin Tauta to finish fourth in the final, clocking 3:06.71.
Belgium took gold in 3:02.54, followed by the USA (3:02.60) and the Netherlands (3:04.25). Mweresa revealed he is already mapping out his 2026 game plan. “I am in my off-season now and I hope to start training in the next two weeks in preparation for next year,” he revealed.
As one of Kenya’s longest-serving 400m sprinters, Mweresa attributes his longevity to discipline and consistency, qualities that have defined his decade-long journey on the track.
“I have been consistent for the last 10 years. Discipline, training well and listening to my coaches’ advice have been the cornerstone of my career,” he said.
His illustrious career took flight at the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville, where he stormed to silver in the 400m, clocking 45.01, finishing behind Botswana’s Isaac Makwala (44.35).
He also helped Kenya’s 4x400m relay squad, alongside Raymond Kibet, Alex Sampao, and Kiprono Koskei, clinch gold in 3:00.34 at the same championship.
Further, Mweresa has donned the Kenyan colours at the Commonwealth Games.
At the 2022 Birmingham games, he teamed up with Were, Mike Mokamba and William Rayian to bag bronze in 3:02.41, finishing behind Trinidad and Tobago (3:01.29) and Botswana (3:01.85).
In the individual 400m, he came close to the podium, clocking 44.96 for fourth place just shy of Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga (44.66), Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.81) and Barbados’ Jonathan Jones (44.89), who claimed the medals.
Beyond the continental and Commonwealth stages, Mweresa has also represented Kenya at the World Championships and Olympic Games. At the 2023 Worlds, he bowed out in the heats after clocking 45.91, while in London 2017, he reached the semifinals, where he clocked 45.93.
He was also part of the historic 4x100m squad that qualified Kenya for the Tokyo World Championships, joining forces with Steve Onyango, Meshack Babu and Mark Otieno.
The quartet posted 38.56, finishing sixth in their heat.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Mweresa joined David Sanayek, Veronica Mutua and Mercy Chebet in the mixed 4x400m relay, where they clocked 3:13.13 for seventh place in their heat, missing the finals.
Now in the twilight of his career, Mweresa is determined to inspire the next generation of Kenyan sprinters to uphold the values that have sustained his own success.
“It’s a good experience running with the young athletes; they are coming up nicely. My message to them is to stay focused, remain disciplined and train smart,” he said.
