Millicent Ndoro (center) in a past race/ TEDDY MULEIThis year’s Kip Keino Classic is primed to deliver a thrilling spectacle in the women’s sprints, as international heavyweights lock horns with Kenya’s finest on April 24 at Nyayo National Stadium.
One of the headline duels on the card will unfold in the women’s 100m, where 2018 World Under-20 silver medallist Twanisha “TT” Terry squares off against seasoned national campaigner Millicent Ndoro in what promises to be a high-octane dash. The Kip Keino Classic will mark Terry’s first outing of the 2026 season, as the American speedster returns to familiar territory.
TT Terry made a statement on her debut at the meet in 2023, storming to victory in 10.86 ahead of New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs (10.97) and Belgium’s Rani Rosius (11.08). The 27-year-old enters the fray with an enviable resume in the short sprint, having clinched silver at the 2018 World U-20 Championships in Tampere in 11.19.
She has also been a crucial cog in Team USA’s formidable 4x100m relay unit on the global stage. Terry played a key role in the American quartet that bagged bronze at the 2019 Lima Pan American Games, before going on to strike gold at the 2022, 2023 and 2025 World Championships.
She was also part of the relay squad that powered the United States to Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games. Ndoro, on the other hand, remains a mainstay on the domestic sprint scene. The experienced Kenyan boasts a bronze medal in the women’s 4x100m from the 2019 African Games and currently holds the national 200m crown.
However, she will be eager to bounce back from last year’s Kip Keino outing, where she faded to a sixth-place finish in 11.93, and will also be keen to make a stronger statement on home soil this time round.
Also lining up in the 100m event is Liberia’s Maia McCoy, the defending champion, who returns to defend her crown after clocking 11.21 to win last year’s edition. However, the spotlight will firmly be on the one-lap showdown, arguably the most anticipated clash of the meet, as Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas steps up to face Kenya’s national record holder Mercy Oketch in the women’s 400m.
Kip Keino Classic meet director Barnaba Korir confirmed that Thomas will test herself over the longer sprint, opting out of her preferred 100m and 200m. “We will not be having the women’s 200m. Gabby Thomas will not be running in her speciality; she will be running the 400m,” Korir revealed.
He underscored the significance of the 2023 world 200m silver medallist gracing the Nairobi showpiece, noting that her presence adds star quality to the meet. " She is one of the best female athletes who will be attending the Kip Keino Classic. It is very important that she is there to enhance the event itself,” he added.
The 29-year-old American will be making her eighth appearance over the distance, with her most recent outing coming in April 2025 at the Kingston Grand Slam, where she clocked a personal best of 49.14.
Thomas boasts a glittering resume, headlined by her Olympic 200m gold in Paris, where she also completed a relay double, striking gold in both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays. She is also the 2023 World Championships 200m silver medallist and a relay gold winner with Team USA in Budapest.
Meanwhile, Oketch heads into the clash in scintillating form, having launched her 2026 campaign emphatically. The Kenyan sprint star obliterated the national indoor 400m record at the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on March 21, stopping the clock at an impressive 51.25.
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