Kenya is renowned internationally for producing road and track athletes who have defeated fierce competition, set and maintained world records for decades. Recent improvements in the sports sector have resulted in exceptional results in non-traditional sports such as sprinting, long jump, and tennis, among others.
This change is considered good news for aspiring athletes who wish to compete in games other than athletics. Things have also been made easier for online betting enthusiasts, as they can try betting with the bet365 app, which provides Kenya’s latest betting prediction. Here you can wager on your favorite sport, basketball, tennis, volleyball, rugby or soccer.
Sprinting
Sprint, sometimes called dash, is a running race over short distances. It requires a rush of speed, and the distances are 400, 200 and 100 meters. Kenya is not only renowned for producing long-distance athletes who break world records, but it can also brag that it has the fastest man in Africa.
At the Commonwealth Games in 2022, Omanyala gave Kenya its first gold medal in the 100-meter event in 60 years. Omanyala set a new national record in 10.02 seconds in the Tokyo Olympic preliminaries, catapulting him into the spotlight.
He maintained his position as an elite competitor by shattering his previous records and establishing new ones in later international events. At only 25 years of age, Omanyalla broke Akani Simbine’s 100-meter record in 2021. Omanyala’s 9.77-second run made him the quickest sprinter in Africa, and in history, he comes in at number nine.
Tennis
Despite only being 18 years old, Angella Okutoyi is a tennis superstar. Her grandma was her sole guardian as she was born into a disadvantaged household. But despite this, she has managed to make her dreams come true.
She made history in January by becoming the first female Kenyan to win a Grand Slam juniors tournament and the very first Kenyan to advance to the third round of a Grand Slam singles event. She went on to win two more French Open games after that.
Tennis is commonly regarded as a sport for the affluent in the United States, where courts are sparsely distributed in private member clubs, preventing those who cannot afford the exorbitant fees.
In contrast, the Kenya Ministry of Sports, in collaboration with its partners, is undertaking plans to develop courts that will be publicly accessible. Tennis Kenya is constructing two hard courts at the Moi Kasarani sports facility after securing a $50,000 grant from ITF.
Fencing
This sport is not widely practiced in Kenya. Alexandra Ndolo is genuinely an extraordinary individual. She chose to play for Kenya instead of Germany. She decided to represent her father’s country despite being born in Germany.
At 36 years of age, the left-handed fencer, who won the Fencing World Championships this year in Egypt, is moving to Kenya, significantly enhancing the country’s sports sector.
Final Thoughts
Even though traditional sports are an integral element of Kenya’s identity and culture, there is a need to adopt and promote non-traditional sports. Gone are the days when we used to think that specific sports were for the high society. Kenya is doing its utmost to encourage the growth and adoption of non-traditional sports and to support emerging talent.