Kenya’s athletics team at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, finished fourth in the mixed 4*400 meters relay final held on Sunday, May 3, 2026. The Kenyan team led by George Mutinda, Mercy Chebet, Kelvin Kiprotich and Mercy Oketch finished behind United States, Jamaica and Great Britain.
Having high expectations and hopes after strongly qualifying second in the first round on Saturday at Nyayo Stadium, they gave their all on the track only to be edged out in the final stage. The team starting well then falling short of medals; they positioned themselves fourth behind the U.S., Jamaica and Great Britain with a time of 3:09:93.
In the 4*400m men’s relay team of Mark Otieno, Ronald Kiprono, Meshack Babu and Ferdinand Omanyala were position fourth in the second round of qualifiers in a national record of 38.27 seconds, missing a chance at the world championship.
Moses Onyango, Milcent Ndoro, Dennis Mwai and Eunice Kadogo didn’t qualify after finishing 13th overall in the world championship qualifying round two. In women’s 4*400m relay team of Lanoline Aoko, Hellen Syombua, Margaret Naserian and Maureen Nanjala finished 8th overall.
With the results out and positioned fourth in the relay, they demonstrated resilience and tactical discipline in mixed relay event. Missing a podium to finish they underscored the margins that define global athletics. The continent hosting the prestigious event for the first time, the World Relay in Botswana marked a significant moment for African athletics
For team Kenya, it gave an experience that served both learning curve and motivation ahead of the upcoming Paris 2026 Olympic Games.