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Over 50 foreign athletes arrive for Kip Keino Classic

Friday, September 17th, 2021 00:40 | By

Tokyo Olympics 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley from United States led over 50 foreign athletes who touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( JKIA) yesterday morning for the Absa Kip Keino Classic set for tomorrow Saturday at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Aboard different airlines, most of the foreign stars arrived at 7:10am ahead of the second edition of the Continental Tour Gold meeting to be held behind closed doors at the 60,000 capacity stadium.

US’s Bromell Trayvon, the fastest 100m man this season, also arrived yesterday morning for the show- stopper event on Saturday evening. Bromell will face former world champion Justin Gatlin and Kenyan champion Ferdinand Omanyala in the hugely anticipated clash.

Others are the US pair of Tyree King and Mike Rodgers as well as the French pair of Mouhamadou Fall, Amaury Gortin and Nigeria’s Jeremiah Ogheneruemu.

“It has been a fantastic season for me, I won’t lie,” Kerley told People Sport. “I come to Nairobi for the first time expecting a very tough com- petition because of the strong field in play.

However, my objective is to end on the high,” said the newly crowned Diamond league winner. Having been the first black athlete to have won the 400m, 200m and 100m, Kerley doesn’t have a favorite event.

“I give my all whenever I step to the track because that is what I love doing. It will be my desire to carry the form I am in to next year’s World Championships on home soil,” he said.

Kerley’s battle in the 200m is highly anticipated, he will face among others Commonwealth Games 400m champion Isaac Makwala of Botswana, who also jetted in yesterday morning. Also in the 200m mix is the Nairobi World Under-20 200m bronze medallist Sinesipho Dambile from South Africa. Makwala is looking to attain qualification time for next years World Championships.

“I was watching the world under 20 Championships where interest- ingly records were set at Kasarani. From my end I will want to race well and attain qualification for what is going to be my last season in athletics,” beamed Makwala upon touch- ing down yesterday morning

The athletes were checked in at the Ole Sereni Hotel, the venue for the official press conference for the championship set for today.

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