The 2023 National 400m champion Zablon Ekwam has sent a stern warning to 200m sprinters ahead of the Athletics Kenya (AK) Nairobi track and field meet set for March 13 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
The Nairobi leg will be the third stop in the AK track and field series after previous stops in Mumias and Thika. The 27-year-old, who has been on the sidelines since suffering a hamstring injury at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is exuding confidence ahead of his 200m showdown.
“If everything goes as planned, I’ll be on the starting line in the Nairobi meet. I am not going just to compete, I will be going for a resounding win. I am not going to lose,” Ekwam declared.
He has urged fans to turn up in large numbers, promising an electrifying contest on Ulinzi’s tartan track. “Fans should come out in large numbers to witness fireworks in a display at Ulinzi,” he added.
Ekwam’s decision to race the 200m isn’t just about victory, it’s a strategic move to sharpen his speed as he chases the 44.85-second qualifying standard for the Tokyo 2025 World Championships in his preferred 400m event.
“I want to use the 200m to gauge my speed and endurance as I chase qualification for Tokyo,” he noted.
Ekwam will be buoyed by his 200m performance from last year’s AK track and field weekend meeting at the Ulinzi Complex, where he clocked 20.93 to claim victory in the final three.
He led Dan Kiviasi (21.32) and Wiseman Were (21.43). Beyond qualification for the Tokyo extravaganza, Ekwam has set his sights on rewriting history by attacking both the 200m and 400m national records.
“My target this year is to put down the 200m and 400m national records this year,” he stated.
The long-standing 400m national record of 44.18, set by Samson Kitur at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has remained untouched for 33 years.
Meanwhile, Americanborn Kenyan Carvin Nkanata holds the 200m national mark at 20.14, set in 2015 in Clermont, USA. Following the Nairobi meet, Ekwam hopes to secure a spot in Kenya’s 4x400m relay team for the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, from March 21- 23.
“My next stop will be the World Indoors where I will be taking part in the Relay team.”
Ekwam was part of the Kenyan quartet—including Wiseman Were, Kelvin Tauta and Boniface Mweresa—that shattered Nigeria’s African 4x400m indoor relay record (3:07.95) after clocking 3:06.96 at last year’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Beyond the World Indoors, Ekwam is looking to feature in the Kip Keino Classic and secure Diamond League races to fine-tune his form.
“My management is working on
getting me races in the Diamond
League, as well as a slot in the Kip
Keino Classic,” he added.
