Kenya's athletics-loving population and improved infrastructure helped Nairobi secure the rights to host the 2029 World Championships, but challenges remain to ensure a successful event.
Kenya's President William Ruto says the World Athletics Championship will be "coming home", with Nairobi set to make history after being selected as the first African city to host the event in 2029.
Ruto hailed the winning bid as a "victory for generations of athletes" who have made the nation "synonymous with excellence" on the track and road.
Nairobi beat London and Rome to the hosting rights, with Munich selected to stage the 2031 edition.
After missing out on the 2025 World Championships to Tokyo, a series of factors helped Kenya see off its European rivals this time around.
When World Athletics president Lord Coe announced the decision in Budapest on Tuesday, he described Kenya's bid as "compelling and emotional".
The East African nation is the second-most successful nation in the history of the World Championships with 72 gold medals, placing it behind the United States.
The vast majority of those glories, alongside 38 Olympic gold medals, have come in middle- and long-distance running.
Lord Coe said that athletics is "woven into the fabric" of the nation and that Kenyans have helped "shape the history" of the sport.
He name-checked several runners including two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge - who was involved in the lobbying for Kenya's bid - men's 800m world record holder David Rudisha and multiple world and Olympic medallist Faith Kipyegon.
Some 68% of Kenyans surveyed by World Athletics rated their interest in athletics as high, compared with a global average of 39%.
Athletics is the country's second-most followed sport, behind only football, and when World Athletics assessed its social media channels, Kenya was the fourth-highest nation in terms of followers.
Kenya's previous bid for the 2025 edition fell down largely on the facilities which the country possessed.
This time around, the Kasarani Stadium will have gone through a complete structural upgrade well before the world's top athletes descend on Nairobi.
The 48,000-capacity venue will be used when Kenya co-hosts football's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) next June and July alongside Tanzania and Uganda.
