Kenya’s athletes delivered mixed performances at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Friday.

The standout achievement came from the women’s 5000m heats, where Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, and Margaret Chelimo advanced to the final. Kipyegon won Heat One in 14:57.56, while Chelimo and Chebet also secured qualifying spots, showcasing Kenya’s strength in distance running.

However, Kenya’s 4x400m mixed relay team faced disappointment, finishing 7th in Heat One with a time of 3:13.13, failing to advance. The USA set a new world and Olympic record in this race, clocking 3:07.21.

In the women’s 800m heats, Mary Moraa and Lilian Odira advanced to the semifinals, while Vivian Chebet was relegated to the repechage round after finishing 5th in her heat with a time of 1:59.90. Moraa and Odira showed strong performances, with Moraa finishing second in her heat at 1:57.95 and Odira setting a personal best of 1:58.83.

In the men’s 10,000m final, Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won with an Olympic record time of 26:43.14, while Kenyan runners Bernard Kibet, Daniel Mateiko, and Nicholas Kipkorir finished 5th, 11th, and 14th respectively. Despite Kibet’s personal best time of 26:43.98, Kenya missed out on the medals in a historically fast race.

The final outcomes for the women’s 5000m and 800m hold promise for Kenya’s medal hopes.