Alex Matata during a previous race/ HANDOUT Half marathon specialist Alex Matata hopes to seize the opportunity of a lifetime after earning a maiden Team Kenya call-up for the World Road Running Championships, set for next week (September 19-20) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kenya will field athletes in the half marathon (21km), 5km road race and the One-Mile road race.
Initially, Athletics Kenya named world half marathon silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo, Gideon Rono, Nicholas Kipkorir and Michael Kiplangat for the Copenhagen assignment in the men's half marathon charge.
However, Kiplangat’s withdrawal swung the door wide open for Matata, handing the in-form road runner his long-awaited national team debut.
For Matata, the selection is a dream come true. “I feel so good to have been included in Team Kenya for the first time,” said Matata.
The distance ace has vowed to put his best foot forward as he chases both individual and team honours. “The target in Copenhagen is to go for the win and also fight for Kenya to finish on top,” he added.
“Going to Copenhagen and being on the podium in my maiden appearance for Team Kenya will open the doors for me. It will give me confidence going forward.”
Kenya heads into the championships as the defending champions after topping the medal standings at the 2023 edition in Riga, Latvia, with a haul of 12 medals: five gold, three silver and four bronze.
Ethiopia finished second with seven medals, while the United States claimed third with two. Matata believes the men’s squad has what it takes to retain the coveted team crown. “We will fight to ensure we retain the overall team title in the men’s half marathon.”
In Riga, Kenya stormed to team gold in the men's half marathon with a cumulative time of 2:57:43, comfortably ahead of Ethiopia (2:59:54) and South Africa (3:01:17). Matata travels to Copenhagen armed with one of the strongest half marathon resumes of the season despite enduring a rollercoaster 2026 campaign.
His year began on a disappointing note at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour on February 14, where he faded to 41st place in the senior men’s 10km race in 31:08. The 29-year-old quickly rediscovered his devastating road-running rhythm, producing a breakthrough victory at the Meishan Half Marathon on March 15 in 59:51.
Ethiopia’s Gemechu Dida settled for second in 1:00:47, while Boaz Kipkemei completed the podium in 1:00:54.
Two weeks later, Matata extended his winning streak at the Yangzhou Half Marathon, slicing through the tape in 59:11 ahead of Ethiopia’s Jemal Mekonen (59:30) and compatriot Geofry Kipchumba (59:57). His remarkable run continued in Istanbul on April 19, where he clinched a third consecutive half marathon title after clocking 1:00:01.
His brother, Charles Matata, matched the winning time to finish second, while Turkey’s Ali Kaya placed third in 1:00:12. The flying form briefly hit turbulence on June 18 during the AK National Championships and Commonwealth Games trials, where Matata suffered the heartbreak of a disqualification in the 5,000m.
He bounced back on July 4 with a solid fourth-place finish at the Northside Hospital Peachtree 10km Road Race in Atlanta, narrowly missing the podium after clocking 27:48. Matata returned to winning ways eight days later, storming to victory at the prestigious Boilermaker 15km Road Race in New York in 42:24.
He led compatriot Kiprono Sitonik (42:53), with South Africa’s Adam Lipschitz finishing third in 43:14.
