Young athletes light up PIPPSA at Kasarani Stadium

The young generation of Kenyan track and field events went down to showcase their on Saturday morning as Kasarani Stadium hosted the Private and International Preparatory Schools Sports Association (PIPPSA) Kenya Athletics Championships.

The grassroots event brought together over 14 school teams, bringing together more than 250 young athletes competing across diverse age brackets, ranging from the Under-7s to the 16 & Over categories.

Speaking to Citizen Digital at the venue, PIPPSA Kenya Organizing Secretary Gideon Juma hailed the impressive turnout and emphasized the role of the championships as a source of young talents in the country.

"The turnout is very good. These are development sporting activities that are helping us to nurture the talents of the young kids."

He added that PIPPSA Kenya, which has been in the industry for 10 years, organizes various events including soccer, swimming, and mini-games to give children a platform to showcase their skills, adjust their training tracks, and get scouted for international events.

The morning session delivered exhilarating track battles, with Mully Children’s Family (MCF) establishing absolute dominance in the long-distance events, while Kianda School and Strathmore School locked down the junior sprints and mid-distance categories.

In the 800-meter fields, Mully Children’s Family swept the gold positions across multiple categories. In the Girls’ 10–14 age group, Jacinta Katunge clinched top honors in 2:56.46, while Faith Kitonga clocked a blistering 2:24.64 to win the Girls’ 15 & Over category.

On the boys' side, John Ndambuki secured the 10–14 gold for MCF in 2:07.62, while Edwin Ropili of Mpesa Foundation Academy claimed the 15 & Over crown in 2:03.67.

Moving to the highly anticipated 75-meter dashes, Taji Wambui Mungai of Nova Pioneer Tatu Primary lit up the track to win the Girls 7 & Under category in 10.69 seconds. Kianda School’s Kimora Njogu and Dellah Were registered a dominant 1-2 finish in the Girls 8–9 category, clocking 10.09 and 10.44 seconds respectively.

For the boys, Strathmore School swept the short sprints as Jerome Owino won the 7 & Under category in 10.99 seconds, while his schoolmate Asher Macharia took the 8–9 boys' title in a rapid 10.45 seconds.

Kianda School further stamped total authority in the girls' 400-meter fields. Amelia Makokha secured the 7 & Under gold in 1:46.20, Dellah Were doubled her morning success by winning the 8–9 category in 1:14.86, and Mercedes Owino comfortably took the 10–11 title, crossing the line in 1:15.02.

Beyond the podium finishes, coaches present emphasized that the exposure provided by stepping onto the iconic Kasarani turf offers invaluable life and career lessons for the youngsters. Tamasha Wanjiru, the head athletics coach at Kianda School, expressed great optimism about the future of youth athletics in the country.

"There future is very bright. They are very committed," Coach Wanjiru told Citizen Digital. "When they train and come for these events, they build their strength and venture into certain races to discover where their technical strengths lie."

She noted that competing against other schools in PIPPSA tournaments makes her athletes fundamentally stronger. Juma backed this statement, adding that grassroots platforms are important for building the foundational skills needed for kids to grow into elite athletic stars.

Coach Wanjiru urged parents to fully support their children who show an early interest in sports. "I encourage parents, if your child shows an interest in a sport, put them in it immediately. This is exposing them and training them to be better. The kids need to be put into athletics clubs and teams.”