by sportswriters Wang Qi and You Huiyuan
NAIROBI, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The Kip Keino Classic, the only World Athletics Continental Tour gold-level meet in Africa, will return for its seventh edition on Friday in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, with a first-ever night schedule, Wavelight technology and a star-studded field among the highlights.
At the refurbished Nyayo National Stadium, attention will focus on whether Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, widely known as the "Fastest Man in Africa," can set a new mark on home soil in the men's 100 meters. Triple Olympic champion Gabby Thomas of the United States will also be under the spotlight following a significant Achilles tendon injury.
Beyond a strong field featuring record holders and title winners, Kenya has introduced several new elements to the Kip Keino Classic, underlining its growing depth across a wider range of track and field disciplines as well as its ambition to host Diamond League meetings and even the world athletics championships.
The shift to a night schedule is one of the standout changes. The seventh edition is set to finish between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. local time, later than previous editions that typically ended in daylight.
"This is the first time for anybody to watch athletics here in floodlights. All the major championships in the world, including the Diamond League, are always done at night to give people the opportunity to come and watch," meet director Barnaba Korir told Xinhua, encouraging post-work crowds to attend.
The introduction of the Wavelight pacing system is another major upgrade to the competition.
Of the 11 gold meetings across five continental areas in 2026, the Kenya leg stands out for its high-altitude setting. To further optimize conditions for athletes, the track at Nyayo National Stadium was resurfaced with the same synthetic material widely used at world championships and Olympic Games, following Kenya's co-hosting of the 2025 African Nations Championship.
Diamond League technical director Own Malone told local media that Nairobi's altitude, combined with the newly upgraded track surface laid last year, would provide ideal conditions for fast performances, particularly for sprinters.
Wavelight technology is expected to give athletes an added boost, as Korir explained that the system "makes sure that they run according to what time they want to achieve, either the world record, the national record, or the regional record."
"When you have the pace setters or rabbits, they either run very fast or run slow, and they don't meet (the pace) exactly. But Wavelight is consistent and constant, allowing the athletes to achieve their ability," he noted.
Since its inception in 2020, the Kip Keino Classic has produced several notable moments, including Omanyala's African record of 9.77 seconds in the men's 100 meters and Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's 10.67-second victory in the women's 100 meters, a meeting record later ratified by World Athletics as the fastest-ever season opener by a women's 100-meter sprinter.
The 2026 edition again features a strong lineup of world-class talent across both track and field events.
Olympic and world hammer throw champion Ethan Katzberg of Canada is set for a fourth consecutive appearance at the Kip Keino Classic, while compatriot Camryn Rogers, also an Olympic and world titleholder in the event, returns after her debut last year.
The men's 100 meters, traditionally the meet's showpiece finale, is set to provide another major attraction.
Fresh off a 9.98-second victory at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, Omanyala will line up against Canada's Olympic 4x100-meter relay champion Aaron Brown, American Brandon Hicklin and South Africa's Gift Leotlela.
On the women's side, Thomas, who is equally accomplished in individual and relay events, swept the 100m and 200m titles in Ethiopia before arriving in Nairobi. She will compete in the women's 400 meters, with Kenya's national outdoor and indoor 400-meter record holder Mercy Oketch also in the field.
Several other leading names, including newly crowned women's 800-meter world champion Lilian Odira, world championships 3000-meter steeplechase bronze medalist Edmund Serem, and Jamaican 200-meter runner Bryan Levell, will seek to build on recent success in their signature events.
Meanwhile, after winning Olympic and world titles, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, a multiple 800-meter winner at the Kip Keino Classic, has set his sights on a move up to the 1,500 meters.
With several meetings on the calendar across Africa, the Kip Keino Classic serves as an important stop for international athletes ahead of upcoming events such as the World Athletics Relays in Botswana and the African senior athletics championships in Ghana.
For Kenya, after announcing a bid to host the world championships in 2029 or 2031, the Kip Keino Classic has become an important platform for showcasing its organizational ability. This year's edition also introduces U20 events for the first time to boost youth participation.
According to Korir, Kenya already has World Athletics-trained technical officials, along with advanced timing products and other necessary equipment in place.
"In two years, we'll have the stadiums that will allow any competition that can be hosted in this country," he said. "We want to tell the world that if we have an opportunity to organise even a world championship or the Diamond League, we are able to do that." ■
