Reigning world 800m champion Lilian Odira will be looking to ignite her season in front of a home crowd at the Kip Keino Classic at the Nyayo National stadium in Nairobi.
as 800m defending champion, Odira said: “The Kip Keino Classic is my season opener, just to gauge where my body is at the moment.”
Last year, Odira clocked 1:58.39 to secure victory ahead of Botswana’s Oratile Nowe (1:58.47) and Sarah Moraa (1:58.96).
“The most important thing is that I want to defend my title. I won’t promise much about time, but if a fast time comes, I will still appreciate it,” she said.
Odira opened up about how her life and mindset have shifted since she stunned the world last September, breaking a 42-year-old championship record to claim the global title
The gold was a motivator, admitting that the weight of being a world champion has pushed her into a more disciplined and aggressive training phase.
After returning from maternity, the mother of two become the stuff of athletics legend, made it clear that she is no longer competing against just the field, but against her own legendary performance in Japan.
That Tokyo standard, a blistering 1:54.62, remains one of the fastest times in history, and Odira’s intent to surpass it suggests that the home crowd at Nyayo Stadium could be in for something special tomorrow night.