ATHLETICS – Bahrain’s superstar sprinter Kemi Adekoya claimed a sensational victory yesterday in the women’s 400 metres at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix in Ethiopia.
The meeting was a Bronze level competition on this year’s World Athletics Continental Tour.
Adekoya not only triumphed in her race, but she also set a new personal best over the distance of 50.28 seconds – shattering her previous fastest mark of 50.53s, which she set in 2023.
Adekoya was in a class of her own against an international field of competitors.
She crossed the finish line with a comfortable gap of several metres from the rest of the pack, which included runner-up Mercy Chebet from Kenya, who posted a time of 51.38s.
Patience Okon George of Nigeria claimed third in 51.70s.
Completing the race’s final classification from fourth through eighth, respectively, were Ajayeba Aliye (51.72s) of Ethiopia, Paris Peoples (52.11s) of the US, Kaitesi Ertzgaard (52.30s) of Norway, Houda Nouiri (52.66s) of Morocco, and Jessica Wright (53.47s) of the US.
Addis Ababa marked Adekoya’s second competitive run of her 2026 international outdoor season.
She had previously participated in the women’s 400m earlier this month in a meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, which she also won in 51.68s.
The women’s 400m is Adekoya’s secondary event, although she was the world and Asian indoor champion over the distance, both in 2016, and she is also the race’s defending Asian Games champion.
Her primary discipline is the women’s 400m hurdles, in which the 33-year-old has won multiple gold medals, including at the Asian championships, the Asian Games, and the World Military Games.
Adekoya is expected to be a key member of Bahrain’s athletics national team that will be competing in the upcoming 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan later this year.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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