Track and road star Edward Zakayo has quit athletics amidst ongoing allegations, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) giving Kenya a four-month compliance reprieve. His departure casts a shadow over Kenya's fight against doping.

• Edward Zakayo, a prominent Kenyan athlete, has left the sport due to unresolved allegations.
• The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) granted Kenya a four-month extension to comply with its anti-doping rules.
• The controversy surrounding Zakayo highlights the challenges faced by Kenya's anti-doping efforts, even as the country received a lifeline from Wada.

Kenya has narrowly avoided immediate sanctions from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), receiving a four-month grace period to fully comply with clean sport regulations. The decision came after intense diplomatic efforts to save the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) from suspension.

• Wada's Compliance Review Committee initially recommended non-compliance due to Adak's failure to address critical requirements from a May 2022 audit.
• Adak made "significant and demonstrable progress" by submitting a corrective action plan to address outstanding issues.
• Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya confirmed that 30 out of 35 compliance issues raised by Wada have been addressed, with a plan for the remaining five.
• Adak will undergo restructuring to strengthen its board and technical personnel.

The article emphasizes the need for Kenyan male runners to significantly increase their effort and determination to achieve gold medals at global athletics competitions. It suggests that they must continually remind themselves of the dedication required for success and seek motivation from anthems.

• The article references Paul Bryant's quote: “There is a lot of blood, sweat and guts between dreams and success.”
• Emmanuel Wanyonyi, a gold medallist, is shown celebrating after the men's 800m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 20, 2025.
• The article suggests listening to classic anthems like Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ or Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time’ for motivation.