time World Athletics Championship in Rome 1987A watershed moment in Kenyan athletics history came when the Kenyan men’s team secured three gold medals while their female counterparts finished without a medal to their name.
This trend persisted for seven editions in the world championships: Tokyo 1991, Stuttgart 1993, Gothenburg 1995, Athens 1997, Seville 1999. and Edmonton in 2001.where the Kenyan men continued to show their prowesscollecting many medals each time.
In addition, women’s performances saw them win just one medal at best during this period, usually bronze, except Sally Barsociowho made history in Athens by becoming the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in the women’s 10,000 meters.
The breakthrough moment for Kenyan women came at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, where they began to change history by winning multiple medals in one event for the first time.
that year Catherine Ndereba‘s remarkable gold in the marathon, combined Edith MasseyThe bronze in the 5,000 meters marked the arrival of Kenyan female athletes on the world stage.
A defining moment came during the 2019 World Cup in Doha. For the first time, the Kenyan women outscored their male counterparts, securing three gold medals to the men’s two.
This marked the beginning of a continuous change in performance dynamics. Since then, the Kenyan men’s team has struggled to regain its dominance, with the women consistently outstripping them in both medal totals and the quality of those medals.
The results of the last two championships, held in Budapest in 2023 and in Tokyo in 2025, highlighted this trend. The Kenyan women performed impressively in Budapest, winning three gold medals, while the men won none.
The accolades continued in Tokyo, where the women once again triumphed, collecting six gold medals. Emmanuel Wanyonyi stood out as the only male athlete to secure gold for Kenya at the event.
Several key factors contribute to the remarkable progress of Kenyan women in athletics, while men’s performances appear to have stagnated. Below we present some of them.
1. The law of diminishing returns.
Kenyan men began their dominance in athletics many years before women, which puts them at a point of diminishing returns in terms of performance improvement.
Many of the top male acts have reached their peak, making it difficult to maintain the same level of success.
For example, there has been a push to break the two-hour marathon mark over the last almost ten years, while women have not been pressured in their special events.
This law applies not only to physical performance, but also to the meaning and acceptance of their victories and successes. A gold medal won by a Kenyan man at the Olympics or World Championships doesn’t get a quarter of the celebration of another country’s bronze medalist. People get tired of applauding the same person for forty years.
2. Cultural shifts.
Traditionally, society has expected Kenyan men to be the primary breadwinner, discouraging women from pursuing athletic careers. However, societal norms have changed, allowing women greater opportunities to pursue their passions and careers. This cultural evolution has enabled women to be more actively involved in sports.
Historically, cultural expectations, early marriage, and domestic responsibilities often limited women’s athletic aspirations. A new generation of athletes has challenged these norms, showing that women can excel in both sports and motherhood, inspiring countless others.
3. Emergence of role models.
In earlier years, female athletes had few role models, with pioneers like Sally Barsocio standing out as the exception.
Today, a new generation of female athletes have witnessed their success and now understand that hard work, dedication and training can lead to remarkable achievements on the world stage.
With current female stars like this Faith Kipyego and: Beatrice Chebet Having performed exceptionally on the world stage, more and more young female runners will aspire to emulate them in the near future and Kenya will continue to see a rise in their women’s performances.
4. Specialized training camps for women.
As the interest in running among Kenyan women has increased, various agencies and organizations have created sports facilities specifically for female athletes.
Some of these camps include: NALA Track Club In Nyahururu, founded Mary Ngugi to provide a safe and supportive environment; Run to the Reinvent Kenya Experience Camp At Iten, which combines training with holistic well-being workshops. Other facilities like Nzima Heart Runners and: Lemotit training camp also focus on nurturing female athletes through coaching and community.
These camps provide comprehensive training programs, physical therapy support, and access to male sensor pacemakers to assist with training.
This initiative has transformed the landscape of women’s athletics, making it safer and more accessible, especially since training often requires early morning sessions in an unsafe environment.
5. Anti-doping rules.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) have set strict rules governing the selection of major events at the World Championships, which significantly affects the Kenyan trials.
Historically, these trials have been known for their unpredictability, showcasing a wealth of emerging talent from the country’s vast pool of runners, all eager to don the national colors and compete on the world stage.
In recent years, the structure of the proceedings has evolved into a largely invitation-only format. Under the new regulations, athletes must meet specific testing eligibility criteria, including a minimum number of anti-doping tests, before participating.
This requirement enhances the integrity of competition and promotes a level playing field among athletes.
However, intentionally or unintentionally, the invitation-only nature of the proceedings has led to a rebalancing of gender representation. This process ensures a fair representation of male and female athletes invited to compete, despite the fact that there are often more male athletes at training camps across the country.
These rules not only promote inclusivity, but also raise the profile of women’s athletics in Kenya by fostering a more diverse and competitive environment at trials.
6. Kenyan men’s speeches and racial executions have been continuously scrutinized by opponents;
The more Kenyan men dominate the world stage, the more their opponents have studied and refined their training and racing patterns. Before major championships in recent years, many big stars from other countries have visited Kenya to train with the Kenyans and learn their secrets. Kenyan women still have some time before their training philosophies and methods are discovered as well.
In summary, the evolution of Kenyan female athletes shows progress on both personal and societal fronts, leading to their impressive performances on the world stage.
As they continue to break barriers and set new records, the future of Kenyan athletics looks brighter for women.
