Distance ace Diana Wanza has fixed her gaze firmly on a maiden continental crown after punching her ticket to the African Senior Athletics Championships set for May 12–17 in Accra, Ghana, following a commanding 10,000m display on Friday.
Wanza was in imperious form on day two of the three-day combined World Relays and African Championships trials at Ulinzi Sports Complex, storming to victory in 32:12.1 in the 25-lap contest.
Her time was comfortably inside the 35:20.0 entry standard for the continental showpiece.
The 27-year-old dictated the tempo from the front, powering clear of Mercy Chepng’eno, who clocked 32:27.2 and Phenah Yego, who sealed third in 32:47.4, both athletes also dipping under the qualifying mark.
Sandrafelis Chebet (33:01.3) and Regina Wambui (33:23.6) also dipped under the standard time, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Wanza expressed satisfaction with her race execution, revealing a well-calculated approach.
“I am glad I got the invite to come and compete in this race. The race was good and I executed it according to plan,” she said.
After settling into rhythm in the opening laps, she sensed the moment to strike.
“After the first few laps, I felt my body was in good shape and I decided to go for the win,” she added.
The performance earns her a maiden call-up to Team Kenya, a milestone she cherishes deeply.
“This will be my first time in Team Kenya and I am very happy about that. I thank my family and coaches for all their support so far,” she noted.
Fully aware of the tactical demands of championship racing, Wanza is under no illusions about the task ahead, but her ambitions remain bold.
“The African Championships is not an easy competition, you have to have a good tactical plan. I will push myself to see if I can come back with a medal. The target is gold and I know I have to push myself for it,” she said.
Wanza’s rich vein of form has been evident since the start of her season.
She opened her campaign with a statement victory on her half marathon debut in Azpeitia, Spain, clocking 1:07:31 in a dominant run.
Irene Sanchez (1:11:13) and Vivian Rop (1:12:56) trailed in her wake.
“I opened my season with a half marathon in India and another in Spain. I was testing my legs over the distance and I am happy with the results,” she explained.
In the men’s 10,000m, Kevin Chesang edged a tightly fought contest, stopping the clock at 28:38.52 ahead of Silas Senchura (28:39.16) and Mathew Kipkoech (28:47.56).
However, all three narrowly missed the 28:38.0 entry standard for the continental championships.
Chesang pointed to the punishing conditions as a key factor.
“The race was good, the only challenge was the heat, but I pushed myself. I saw Senchura coming in the final 200m and I knew I had to dig deep to secure the win,” he said.
In the sprints, South Sudan’s Lucia Williams lit up the women’s 200m, sprinting to victory in 23.90 ahead of Lilian Aoko (23.99) and Monica Akullu (24.20), with all three athletes dipping under the 24.24 qualifying mark.
In the field, Belinda Oburu delivered a historic moment, unleashing a massive 15.74m throw in the shot put to obliterate the long-standing national record of 15.60m set by Elizabeth Olaba in 1987.
Sarah Okumu followed closely with a 15.46m effort, while Monica Njau completed the podium with 13.06m.
Both Oburu and Okumu surpassed the 14.90m entry standard for Accra.
Meanwhile, Caroline Cherotich also booked her slot in the women’s discus throw, launching 49.68m to clear the 49.0m qualifying mark.
