Wilson Chepkwech on his way to winning the 1500m race during the Anoca Zone Five Youth Games at Kenyatta University on August 25, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Kenyans showed they were not ready to be beaten at home as they laid down an early marker as athletics kicked action at the Anoca Zone V Youth Games kicked off on Wednesday at Kenyatta University.
Wilson Chepkwech, Bramwel Chasala, and Purity Munyalo delivered commanding performances in their respective disciplines as they bagged gold medals.
World Under-20 champion Chepkwech showed his power in 1500m with a tactical masterclass to claim gold in 3:46.81.
He pulled away from the pack to comfortably beat Ethiopia's Wabi Wejra Seblega, who secured silver in 3:52.83, while Uganda's Timothy Cheptoek bagged bronze in 4:00.04.
"When lining up for such races, I usually avoid having tension and just focus on psyching myself up. I always want to be motivated to win and it always works out well on my end,” Chepkwech said.
In the Chasala dominated the boys' 200m final and he raced to gold in 22.43 seconds.
He held off Uganda's Muhwezi Abraham Lincoln (22.66s), while South Sudan's Faisal Alafi Lino completed the podium places in 22.98s.