Maurine Chebor and Joyline Chepkemoi at the AK Combined trials/ TEDDY MULEI Distance star Maureen Chebor will be out to rewrite her Kip Keino Classic script when she toes the line in the women’s 5,000m at next week's edition at Nyayo Stadium, determined to turn last year’s near-miss into a statement victory.
At the 2025 edition at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Chebor produced a spirited run, clocking 15:14.57 to settle for second place. Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat stormed to victory in 15:03.33, while Ethiopia’s Gemene Mamite sealed third in 15:21.25.
Now, the Kenyan distance ace returns to the fray with renewed hunger, eyeing a dominant display as she fine-tunes for the African Championships slated for May 12–17 in Accra, Ghana.
Her 2026 campaign, however, has been a tale of two halves.
Chebor opened her season at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, on January 10, where she finished eighth in the senior women’s 10km race in 33:06.
Compatriot Agnes Ng’etich powered to the world title in 31:28, with Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek (32:10) and Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew (32:13) completing the podium places.
The struggles persisted at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour, where Chebor once again fell short of the podium, crossing the line ninth in 34:41.
However, in her first track outing of the season, the 21-year-old signalled a return to form with a strong 10,000m victory at the Meru BingwaFest finals, stopping the clock at 32:17.02.
She built on that momentum at the Athletics Kenya combined trials for the World Relays and African Championships at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, where she unleashed a clinical run to win the women’s 5,000m in 15:51.04, comfortably booking her slot for the continental showpiece.
Joyline Chepkemoi clocked 15:53.08 for second, while Cynthia Chepkurui sealed third in 16:00.99.
The path to victory at Nyayo will be anything but straightforward.
Middle-distance ace Naomi Korir looms as a major threat, having opened her 2026 season with victory in the 2km race at Sirikwa Classic, where she clocked 6:42.
Adding further firepower to the field is 2024 African Championships 10,000m gold medallist Gladys Kwamboka, who has already laid down a marker this season with a win at the Venloop Half Marathon in the Netherlands, timing 1:06:45.
Chebor will also renew rivalries with Chepkurui and Chepkemoi. Chepkurui, the African U18 3,000m champion, is slowly transitioning with confidence on the senior stage.
Meanwhile Chepkemoi, the African U20 3,000m bronze medallist, will be eager to shake up the pack and test the field.
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