Award-winning coach Henk Botha said it remains unclear whether sprint sensations Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi will feature at this year’s Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour Gold.

It is scheduled for the end of this month at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi, Kenya.

Botha was responding to queries regarding the participation of the two sprint sensations, both of whom have previously competed at the high-profile event. 

It was at the same competition in 2022 where Olympic silver medallist Mboma suffered a thigh injury during the women’s 100metre sprint.

“For now, I cannot confirm our participation in this year’s Kip Keino Classic. We are still awaiting the green light from the organisers of the event,” Botha told New Era Sport.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Nairobi event, he confirmed that the pair would travel to Russia next week to compete in another competition, which he described as an important stepping stone in their return to top form.

“What I can confirm is that we are travelling to Russia next week for another event. The girls are training hard. Their discipline has improved a lot, something we struggled with before. This upcoming event is crucial because the better times they clock, the easier it will be for them to qualify for major international competitions,” he said.

Botha is satisfied with the current training progress of both sprinters. 

He praised their commitment ahead of what is expected to be a busy season.

Mboma and Masilingi have faced significant challenges in recent years. 

The pair was controversially barred from competing in the 400m event by World Athletics (WA) due to naturally-high testosterone levels. 

The ruling forced them to seek alternative events and, in some cases, undergo hormone suppression treatments to comply with WA regulations.

– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na