Lilian Odira Explains Why She Competed in 5 Events at Kenya Prisons Championships

Reigning world 800m champion Lilian Odira has shared the major reason for competing in five events at the Kenya Prisons Track and Field Championships at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.

Lilian Odira kick-started her campaign with the 1500m before claiming top honours in the 400m and 800m finals. She also raced in the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay races to round up her campaign.

Lilian Odira is now gearing up for the National Championships, where she also hopes to make a mark for Kenya Prisons. She kick-started her 2026 season at the Kip Keino Classic, where she finished second in a time of 1:59.15.

Speaking after the event, Lilian Odira revealed that her early-season condition has been encouraging following her opening race at the Kip Keino Classic, noting that she and her team are still focusing on building stamina as part of her training programme.

She explained that her participation across multiple distances at the championships is part of a deliberate approach to balance different aspects of her development, combining speed work with longer endurance sessions.

Odira further indicated that the 800m remains her most demanding event, while the shorter and longer races are being used strategically to sharpen her speed and endurance, respectively.

“So far, my body is responding well after opening my season at the Kip Keino Classic, and we are still working on the endurance. That’s why you saw me in the 1500m, the 400m, so we are balancing both, and we are faring on well,” Lilian Odira said.

“The 800m challenges me more, but I’m just doing the 400m for speed and the 1500m for endurance, but most importantly, I wanted to defend my titles in the 800m and 1500m, and now I’ve added the 1500m and now I’ve added the 400m.

“Defending my titles keeps me going, and we are going to the nationals, where I hope I will continue with the momentum.”

Lilian Odira added that her ambition is to secure a place on the national team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, later this year. She also intends to be in action at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Odira emphasised that her broader focus this season is on improving her performance levels by achieving a new personal best time.

Her current personal best time stands at 1:54.62, which she clocked to win the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

“I plan to make the team that will be going to the Commonwealth Games, but most importantly, we are looking for another personal best time this year,” Lilian Odira added.