Kip Keino Classic Prize Money: How Much Ferdinand Omanyala, Gabby Thomas and Co Are Set to Earn

Ferdinand Omanyala thrilled the home crowd by reclaiming his Kip Keino Classic 100m title, while American star Gabby Thomas secured a remarkable sprint double, highlighting a day of stellar performances in Nairobi.

Ferdinand Omanyala overcame a sluggish start to power through the finish line in 9.96 seconds, marking his second sub-10-second run of the season.

After a shaky exit from the blocks, Omanyala found his rhythm midway through the race to clinch the victory. The win comes on the heels of a dominant performance at the Addis Ababa Grand Prix, where he also won in 9.98 seconds.

In Nairobi, South Africa’s Rivaldo Roberts finished second with a time of 10.12 seconds, followed by Canada’s Aaron Brown, who completed the podium in 10.15 seconds.

Triple Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas delivered a masterclass, winning both the women's 100m and 200m events. Fresh off a similar double victory in Addis Ababa, Thomas first clocked 11.01 seconds in the 100m, narrowly missing her personal best by just 0.01 seconds. She held off fellow Americans Cambrea Sturgis (11.15s) and Maia McCoy (11.18s).

Shortly after, Thomas returned to the track for the 200m and blazed to a world-leading time of 21.89 seconds. Her performance not only secured the win but also shattered the previous championship record of 22.07, set by Sha'Carri Richardson in 2023.

As a premier World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, the meet provides a standardised payout for each of its 12 core disciplines, ensuring that every athlete finishing in the top eight leaves Nairobi with significant financial backing.

According to World Athletics, the victor of each core event should walk away with at least $5,000, which translates to KSh 646,650. The prize money can be increased by the meet organisers.

Those finishing in the runner-up position earn $3000 (KSh 387,990), while the third-place finishers take home $2,000 (KSh 258,660).

The rewards continue through the middle of the pack, with fourth place receiving $1,400 (KSh 181,062), fifth place earning $1,200 (KSh 155,196), and sixth place taking $1,000 (KSh 129,330).

Even those finishing in seventh and eighth positions are recognised for their world-class effort, receiving $800 (KSh 103,464) and $600 (KSh 77,598) respectively.