Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser arrived in Kenya ahead of the Kip Keino Classic scheduled for Saturday at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani.
The legendary athlete, who is regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, will grace the Kip Keino Classic for the first time this weekend and the veteran sprinter cannot hide her joy ahead of the tour.
“I have tried learning a few things about Kenya like the Maasai tribe and I know about the 42 different tribes in the country and I can tell from the look of things I am going to have a fantastic time,” Fraser said.
Shelly-Ann, who is one of the most decorated athletes in history, winning 10 gold (including one indoor title) and two silver medals said her focus is to put a solid race as she kick-starts her season at the Kip Keino classic.
In the same breath, the legendary sprinter urged Kenyan athletes to churn their energy also in other athletic traditions like sprinting and track and field events.
The 35-year-old will go head-to-head with rival American sprinter Sha ‘Carri Richardson and Tokyo Olympic 200m silver medallist Christine Mboma in what is expected to be a mouthwatering race.
However, the eight-time Olympic medallist and 10-time world champion said her focus is to execute her race perfectly and iron out things ahead of the World Championship in July.
Shelly-Ann won the 100 m titles at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics and the 4x100m gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
She rose to prominence at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first Caribbean woman to win gold in the 100 m.
At the 2012 London Olympics, she became one of only four women in history to defend an Olympic 100m title.
Despite injuries and setbacks, the decorated sprinter won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Thirteen years after her first Olympic win, she won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first athlete to medal in the 100 m at four consecutive Olympic games.
She is the only athlete to win four world titles in the 100 m in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
Her win in 2019 at the age of 32 made her the oldest female sprinter and the first mother in 24 years, to claim a global 100m title.
In the men’s race, Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala will host a multiplicity of athletes in the 100m category.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs from Italy and Olympic 200m silver medallist, American Fred Kerley are set to meet Omanyala as they seek to produce historic moments.
Jacobs, who is the Olympic champion confirmed his participation to face the Africa record-holder Omanyala in the forthcoming Kip Keino Classic a leg of the World Athletics Diamond Tour.
Omanyala is the fastest in the field with 9.77 seconds followed by Jacobs (9.80) and Kerley (9.84).
Jacobs currently holds the 100m European record, the 60m European record, and is the first Italian to ever qualify for and win the men’s 100m Olympic final.
Besides Omanyala, from Jacobs and Kerley, the men’s race has attracted Americans Mike Rogers, who won the gold medal in the 100m relay in Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships and Isaiah Young.
South Africans Gift Leotlela, the 4x100m gold medallist from the 2021 World Relay Championships and 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships 200m bronze medallist Sinesipho Dambile are also expected to showcase their talent.
