Kip Keino Classic: Gatlin to face off with Omanyala in Nairobi event

The Kip Keino Classic, to be held on 18^th September, promises to provide something special in the 100m dash, with home boy Ferdinand Omanyala set to come up against two of the fastest men on earth – three-time World Champion Justin Gatlin and his American compatriot Trayvon Bromell, who have confirmed they will feature at the event in Kasarani Stadium.

The Kip Keino Classic is part of the World Athletics Continental Gold Tour.

Omanyala, Kenya’s fastest man and the first to run under 10 seconds, will hope to repeat his heroics on home soil when he faces the American duo.

Gatlin, 39, is not only a silver medalist from the 2019 World Championships in Doha but also the fifth all time fastest man.

Bromell, on his part, is looking to end his season on a high after the disappointment of missing out on the Olympic final despite arriving in Tokyo with the world’s fastest time of 9.77seconds. He was eliminated in the semis in Tokyo, the same stage Omanyala ended his Olympics fairytale run so it will be an interesting match-up at the Kasarani turf.

The kip Keino Classic features nine core events – men and women’s hammer throw, men’s pole vault, women’s long jump, men’s 100m, men and women’s 200m and men and women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

The men and women’s 5,000m, 1,500m, 800m and men’s javelin throw are discretionary events; while the men and women’s 400m, 400m hurdles, men’s 10,000m, 4x400m mixed relay and men’s high jump all fall under the national category.

Other stars confirmed for the event include Botswana veteran Isaac Makwala in the men’s 200m, competing against Under-20 star Sinesipho Dambile who also anchored the South African team to the 4x100m relay gold last time out.

Polish Olympic hammer champion Wojciech Nowicki, women’s steeplechase champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda and Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali, among others are part of the stellar cast expected in Nairobi next week.

PHOTO/COURTESY