Kenyan duo bows out early in Poland Indoor Championship
Budding Kenyan athletes Rosemary Longisa and Gladys Chepngetich bowed out of women’s 800 m races after enduring a tough outing in the preliminary stages of the World Indoor Championship in Poland this Friday, March 20, 2026.
The US-based pair were knocked out of their respective heats after finishing outside the qualification berths.
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In her heat, Longisa finished fifth against a star-studded field comprising Olympic champion and world record holder Keely Hodgkinson, who won the heat.
Her time of 2:02, however, was not enough to earn her a morale-boosting qualification in her debut appearance at the World Indoor Games.
Quest for gold
The impressive yet ultimately demoralising outcome now sees the duo shift focus to the outdoor season.
On a positive note, two Kenyan athletes kept the Team Kenya quest for gold alive early on with respective wins in their heats.
Kenyan national record holder Mercy Oketch and Brian Tinega both won their heats to keep the athletics glory in the World Indoor Championship.
Tinega qualified for the 400m semi-finals after finishing 2nd in Heat 5, behind Canada’s Christopher Morales-Williams.
The Kenya police athlete’s runner-up position came after mustering a time of 46.21 s.
Meanwhile, Oketch advanced to the Women’s 400 m semifinals after an impressive run of 51.57 s, earning her a second-place finish in Heat 6.
The athlete, boasting an outdoor personal best of 50.14 s set in 2025 at the Kip Keino Classic, managed to get over the line for the qualifiers with the time.
Kenyan representatives
The indoor races running through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 22, 2026, will see six athletes defend Kenya’s flag and rich athletic history in the championship.
Noah Kibet will also feature in the men’s 800 m race, while the 3000 m race will see Jacob Krop facing a formidable elite field in other disciplines of Day One events.
Festus Lagat will also take part in Team Kenya for the 1500 m race for men as Susan Ejore represents the women in the same discipline.
