Egypt’s Esraa Owis stunned the field at the 2025 Kip Keino Classic, soaring to a wind-assisted 6.94m (+2.4m/s) to claim victory in the women’s long jump on Saturday afternoon.
The mark may not have been legal for record purposes, but it was enough to secure the title ahead of a quality field at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.
Brazil’s Maysa Lissandra Campos, however, left the event with a piece of history of her own. Campos registered a meeting record of 6.84m with a wind-legal leap to finish second, while Slovenia’s Maja Bedrac delivered a personal best of 6.58m to round out the podium.
For Owis, the triumph in Nairobi adds another chapter to what has been an inspiring journey in African athletics. The 2023 Arab Games long jump and triple jump champion has steadily built her career since making an impression as a junior athlete in 2015, when she won silver and bronze in the triple jump and long jump respectively at the African Junior Championships.
After a setback with an ankle injury that required surgery and a lengthy nine-month rehabilitation, Owis returned to claim bronze at the 2022 African Championships in Mauritius. That same year, she made history at the Mediterranean Games, becoming the first Egyptian woman to win a long jump silver medal at the competition.
Her momentum continued in 2023 as she clinched double gold at the Arab Games and shattered the Egyptian national record in the triple jump with a leap of 13.57m.
Earlier this year, Owis earned qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the long jump, where she placed 15th in her group with a best effort of 6.20m. Despite missing out on the final, the experience marked a significant milestone in her career as she became one of the few Egyptian women to represent the nation in track and field at the global event.
Saturday’s performance in Nairobi underscores her resilience and rising status in African and international athletics. With personal bests of 6.75m in the long jump and the national record in the triple jump, Owis is proving to be a formidable competitor heading into the next athletics season.
As the Kip Keino Classic continues to attract elite global talent, Owis’ triumph serves as an inspiration for the next generation of African women in sport.
