Kipkeino Classic: Ndoro, Aoko face Gabby Thomas as she eyes meet record

The American star, doubling in both the 100m and 200m, has already set her sights on history in the longer sprint—targeting a meeting record and a possible first-ever sub-22 seconds on Kenyan soil.

“I’m surprised to hear that we’ve never seen a sub-22 here and I would love to be the first to accomplish that,” Thomas said.

Thomas arrives in Nairobi in red-hot form after a dominant double at the Addis Ababa leg, where she stormed to 22.15 in the 200m ahead of Cambrea Sturgis (22.42) and Maia McCoy (22.96), before returning to clock 11.13 in the 100m.

She led home Chanté Clinkscale and Sturgis in a performance that now sets up a high-stakes rematch under the lights at Nyayo.

The women’s 100m is scheduled for 6:15pm, with a stacked field featuring Millicent Ndoro, Lilian Aoko, Gabby Thomas, Chanté Clinkscale, Cambrea Sturgis, defending champion Maia McCoy, and Rayniah Jones.

Attention will then shift to the 200m at 7:20pm, where Thomas lines up again against Ndoro, Sturgis and Jones, alongside France’s Samba-Mayela, South Africa’s Wansbury Chame, USA’s Jessica Wright, and Zimbabwe’s Ashley Miller.

“I do feel good about my fitness. In Ethiopia, I ran 22.1 into a headwind, so I think if the conditions are nice, then it could shape up nicely,” Thomas added.

No woman—Kenyan or international—has ever dipped below 22 seconds in Nairobi. The current meeting record of 22.07 was set by Sha'Carri Richardson at the 2023 edition.

With a personal best of 21.60 from the 2023 USA Championships, Thomas underlines the scale of the challenge facing the Kenyan pair. Still, her focus remains simple:

“Of course, I just want to win the race. That’s my mindset—get the win and I’ll be happy.”

For Ndoro and Aoko, tonight presents a perfect benchmark against one of the world’s finest—an opportunity to rise on home soil and test their progress at the highest level. For Thomas, it is also part of a bigger mission.

“I have always wanted to come to East Africa and run here. I had a great time in Ethiopia, and even here in Kenya I feel so welcome. I can’t wait to race.”