Patrick Odongo: From Sprinter to Rugby Superstar Now Endorsing Global Brands Like Red Bull

Patrick Odongo has become a household name in Kenyan rugby circles in short spell in the game.

In under three years, Odongo is a global superstar who strikes fear in opposing teams and commands global respect and attention.

So big is Odongo that he is now an ambassador for one of the world’s top brands, Red Bull.

However, Odongo was not even supposed to be a rugby player. He started out in athletics and thought he would carve out a career in sprints and join the likes of Ferdinand Omanyala, Lestile Tebogo and Akani Simbine as one of Africa’s top sprinters.

Odongo honed his skills at Agoro Sare High School in Homa Bay County and it is here where he represented his institution in various school competitions.

It is during one of his athletics training sessions that a teacher spotted something unique and advised him to try out rugby.

“We went all the way to the national school games and I was doing both athletics and rugby,” Odongo opened up during a Red Bull-organised media engagement in Nairobi.

After high school, Odongo moved to Nairobi and as he waited to join university, he played rugby for Ngong RFC before then featuring for the University of Nairobi (UoN).

The speedster did not stay long at UoN as he would soon land a scholarship with Daystar University but he had already showcased his talents to national team selectors during the National Sevens Circuit.

“After my first three national circuit tournaments, I was called to the national team before I even started studying at Daystar,” he recalls.

“I was part of the setup in the 2022-23 season and they played eight tournaments but I never travelled. I was persevering and kept coming for training. Sometimes I missed class, but I did not give up,” Odongo says of his long road to the top.

However, everything changed in August 2023 when the youngster was named in the Kenya Sevens squad for the Africa Sevens tournament in Zimbabwe which was set to serve as the qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Then an unknown player, Odongo would emerge as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player when he scored seven tries in six matches as Kenya went all the way to the final and stunned South Africa to lift the title and most importantly, clinch a direct ticket to the Olympics.

In the final, Odongo came up trumps, scoring two decisive tries as Shujaa beat South Africa 17-12.

“I had joined the camp but I never got the chance to travel with them in 2023 during the 2022-23 season but before the Olympics qualifiers, that is when I got a chance to play for the national team and I have never looked back,” adds Odongo.

Indeed, Odongo has never looked back, raking up try after try for Shujaa to earn comparisons with legendary Collins Injera, considered Kenya’s finest sevens rugby player.

At international tournaments, Odongo has become the man opposing teams want to keep quiet due to his explosive pace and power that makes try scoring look so easy.

“Rugby can be hard, a lot of times I felt like giving up but rugby is addictive. I have even had bad injuries but I have never thought of leaving,” states the Daystar Falcons star.

“However, discipline is the only way to stay grounded. I just remain disciplined. I will show up where needed, then I just do what is right.”

It is this trait that has made Odongo an attractive athlete to top brands and because of his profile, Red Bull were convinced he is the man to market them in Kenya and beyond.

“There is a unique way in how they associate with their athletes,” Odongo, who signed an endorsement deal with Red Bull in November 2025, says of the brand.

“I am a big fan of Red Bull athletes like [South Africa rugby stars] Siya [Kolisi] and Damian Willemse. As a player, you always want to work with someone who is doing better,” adds Odongo, before explaining how his partnership with Red Bull has seen him brush shoulders with global superstars that he looks up to.

“Yes, I am playing rugby but there is someone who is playing it better than me who I still look up to. It has also given me an opportunity to meet with the likes of Damian Willemse and [popular car spinner] Sam Sam, guys I only dreamt of,” he says.

“It has really given me the opportunity and now, my brand is known. Everyone knows this is Patrick Odongo and he does this and that. I have gotten a chance to show what I can do off the pitch and build my brand.”

As he looks to achieve further success in rugby, Odongo hopes that partnerships like the one he has with Red Bull can spur his growth and help inspire the next generation of Kenyan athletes.