Mumias: World Cross Country Championships bronze medalist Daniel Simiu Ebenyo is among the more than 500 athletes set to compete during the penultimate leg of the second season of Betika BingwaFest at the Mumias Sports Complex for the Western Region edition of the competition this weekend. Fresh from the global showpiece where he finished third in the men’s senior race, Ebenyo will line up in the lucrative 10,000m and 5,000m races as he aims to double up to take home Sh550,000 on Saturday as athletics action takes centre stage at the Mumias Sports Complex.
According to Kenya News Agency, teams across football, rugby, 3€š¬‚¬3 basketball, and athletes across different race disciplines will be out to have a share of the over Sh17 million prize pool up for grabs. Football action kicked off on Monday, January 19, across different venues, while rugby and basketball are expected to start on Friday at the Bull Ring and Mumias Sports Complex, respectively. All team sports will then converge at the Mumias Sports Complex on Sunday for the final’s showdown.
Betika Head of Brand, Eric Mwiti, expressed excitement to be in Western this weekend as the event nears the end of its second season, highlighting the region as a hub for top talents. Mwiti noted that the event aims to give these talents a chance to be seen and compete against some of the best talents in athletics, promising an entertaining weekend as they search for the Western Bingwas.
The second season of the multidisciplinary sports extravaganza began in August, with Nakuru hosting the Rift Valley Region event at the Afraha Stadium. It then moved to Siaya County for the Nyanza Region leg, followed by Machakos County for the Eastern Region chapter, a stop in Nairobi, and Meru for the Central Region edition. The regional qualifiers will wrap up at the Coast next month.
Winners in football and rugby, both men and women, will earn Sh1 million each, while the victorious teams in 3€š¬‚¬3 basketball will receive Sh500,000. The first runners-up for football and rugby will be awarded Sh500,000, with second runners-up set to receive Sh250,000. In basketball, teams placing second and third will take home Sh250,000 and Sh100,000, respectively.
Gold medalists in the 10,000m will take home Sh300,000, while the first and second runners-up will pocket Sh250,000 and Sh200,000, respectively. Athletes finishing fourth and fifth will receive Sh100,000 and Sh75,000, respectively. In the 5,000m category, winners will be awarded Sh250,000, with subsequent prizes of Sh150,000, Sh100,000, Sh50,000, and Sh30,000 for second to fifth places.
Prizes for the top five in the 100m, 400m, 800m, and 1,500m will be the same, with gold medalists receiving Sh150,000, silver medalists Sh100,000, and bronze medalists Sh60,000. The fourth and fifth place finishers will pocket Sh30,000 and Sh20,000, respectively.
As with previous editions, a free medical camp will run throughout the weekend, offering general consultation services, specialist consultation services, as well as laboratory and pharmacy services.
