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This past weekend saw a series of events in Kenya's capital, with tons of fans playing an integral role in bringing out the best in the sports people.
This past week saw a lot of events take place from the Billie Jean King Cup to the Athletics Kenya Olympic trials and one thing was constant, the support from fans was very immense.
The Billie Jean King Cup held at the Nairobi Club started on Monday and ran all the way to Saturday and the home fans never missed a day to support Angella Okutoyi, Cynthia Cheruto, Roselinda Asumwa, Alicia Owegi and Co, who were looking to fly the Kenyan flag high.
From the stands, you could hear people cheering on the youngsters who did not disappoint and as the curtains closed on Saturday, Kenya had sealed the podium. They missed out on the promotion but they made it to the podium bracket.
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20:00 - 17.06.2024
Burundian star in awe of Angella Okutoyi's playing style at Billie Jean King Cup
The Burundian star admitted that Okutoyi might have overpowered her during the singles match they played against each other at the Nairobi Club.
Okutoyi, during an interview, explained that the influence of the fans played a huge role in her performance and hearing people cheering her on gave her motivation to even play against Burundi’s finest Saada Nahimana and win.
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Next up were the Kenyan Olympic trials, totally free of charge and fans flocked the Nyayo National Stadium to witness the mini-Olympics.
With the motivation from fans, Africa’s fastest man was out to impress, as he toed the line for the men’s 100m final. Omanyala meant business when he clocked a world leading time of 9.79, running his third fastest time in his career.
The previous times include the 9.77, African record that he ran to win the Kip Keino Classic in 2021 and the 9.78 that he clocked at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in 2023.
The motivation from the fans also saw Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the world 800m silver medallist, deliver a masterful performance in the men’s 800m final as he ran to victory in 1:41.70.
In history, only David Rudisha with 1:40.91 and Wilson Kipketer with 1:41.11 have run faster than the 19-year-old. His run is now the quickest since Rudisha’s world record at the London 2012 Olympics. Wycliffe Kinyamal was second in 1:42.50 ahead of Koitatoi Kidali in 1:42.66.
Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon, also opening her season, was in great shape and she lauded her fans for showing up in large numbers to cheer her on. She was in majestic form as she won the women’s 1500m in 3:53.98 ahead of Nelly Chepchirchir (3:58.46) and Susan Ejore (4:00.22) who finished second and third.
Kipyegon had earlier won the 5000m on the opening day of the championships where she clocked 14:46.28 ahead of 10,000m world record holder Beatrice Chebet.
Sunday, June 16, saw the Junior Starlets officially qualify for the U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup 2024 to be held in the Dominican Republic, playing in a match against Burundi at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Thousands of fans descended at the stadium to cheer on the youngsters who took that to their advantage and outsmarted Burundi. Kenya eliminated Burundi via a 5-0 aggregate score to become the first Kenyan side to qualify for the World Cup that is scheduled for October 16 to November 3.
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08:00 - 18.06.2024
World Cup or KCSE exams? Junior Starlets face tough choices after historic achievement
A number of Junior Starlets players face a huge dilemma as they will be required to sit KCSE exams at a time when the FIFA U17 World Cup will be taking place in the Dominican Republic.
The Junior Starlets made history after beating the Burundian side 2-0 in the return leg match, having secured a 3-0 first-leg lead in Addis Ababa. Kenya now joins hosts Dominican Republic, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, England, Japan, DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Spain, the USA, and Zambia as the teams that have qualified for the tournament.
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