Sprinters Mercy Chebet (R), Hellen Syombua (L) and Gladys Mumbe in training/ TEDDY MULEIThe 2024 national 400m champion Mercy Chebet will be hoping to cap off her year on a high note when she lines up for the Betika BingwaFest Central Region edition on Saturday at Kinoru Stadium.
Chebet has recorded a mixed bag of results throughout her 2025 campaign.
The 23-year-old was part of Kenya’s relay contingent that delivered blistering performances at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, on May 10–11.
Chebet featured in Kenya’s 4x400m mixed relay squad where, alongside David Sanayek, Brian Tinega and Mercy Oketch, the quartet clocked 3:13.10 to claim a hard-earned bronze medal.
They trailed powerhouses USA (3:09.54) and Australia (3:12.20) in a fiercely contested final.
However, the women’s 4x400m campaign proved challenging as Chebet, alongside Esther Mbagari, Vanice Kerubo and Oketch, failed to progress to the final after clocking 3:31.67 in their heat.
On May 31, Chebet returned to home soil for the Kip Keino Classic where, in front of a vocal home crowd, she stopped the clock at 51.52 to secure a podium finish.
Oketch (50.14) and Uganda’s Shida Leni (50.93) finished first and second respectively in a high-quality one-lap showdown.
The following month at the national championships, Chebet narrowly missed out on defending her 400m crown after finishing second in 51.80, behind Oketch who powered to victory in 50.32.
Chebet had claimed her maiden national title in 2024 after clocking 51.81, leading Gladys Jepkemboi (52.13) and Veronica Mutua (52.60) in a memorable breakthrough moment.
At Kinoru Stadium, Chebet is set for a demanding double, lining up in both the 100m and the 400m as she seeks to sharpen her speed and endurance for a busy 2026 season.
In the men’s 100m sprint, youngster Isaac Omurwa is set to headline the cast, going toe-to-toe with Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) athlete Justin Isaboke in what promises to be a fireworks-filled dash.
Up for grabs in the sprint events is a lucrative cash prize of Sh150,000 for the winners, with second and third place set to pocket Sh100,000 and Sh60,000 respectively.
Fresh from reigning supreme at the Chepsaita Cross Country in the men’s senior 10km race on December 6, Mathew Kipkoech headlines the distance double over 5,000m and 10,000m.
At the Chepsaita Cross Country, Kipkoech stopped the clock at 31:49 to emerge victorious ahead of Cornelius Konor (31:50) and Sammy Kapserem (31:51) in a thrilling finish.
On his way to the Chepsaita triumph, Kipkoech had amassed an impressive string of cross-country podium finishes, including a third-place finish at the XXXI Campo a Traves Internacional de Soria in Spain over 8km (23:13) and a second-place finish at Italy’s 93rd Cinque Mulini 8.2km race, where he clocked 23:20.
