Derval O’Rourke and Karen Shinkins meet Kenya’s girls at the starting line

When Irish Olympians Derval O’Rourke and Karen Shinkins arrived in Kenya, they were determined to inspire the next generation of athletes in the women and girls they encountered. With a passion for promoting gender equality in sport, it was vital to them to have the opportunities to learn about the barriers to inclusion, and to encourage communities and youth leaders to rally around the cause.

They hit the ground running with a family sports day in Nairobi where the Irish community in Kenya joined O’Rourke and Shinkins in a series of sporting events for both children and adults alike.

Eager to meet the two sports stars, the vibrant Irish community in Kenya flocked to the event, all with their own journeys both into the Kenyan community and with sport. With a child-like wonder, they took to the field, eager to meet with women who are at the top of Irish athletics. Despite the sweating in the dry heat, this was merely a warmup to the tour these women had planned.

Seeds of opportunity

In Kitale, the land is generous with the wide agricultural plains of Trans Nzoia County expanding out for miles. The altitude provided cooler air and some respite for our athletes. Beyond the busy market streets, opportunity can be less evenly distributed, particularly in the lives of young people.

They are working to rebuild disrupted paths where access to formal education streams and training can often diminish confidence in futures beyond navigating instability. For street-connected youth, the seeds of opportunity often lie in community support.

The Association of Mission Volunteers (VMM) in Kitale, run by Irishman Tim Flynn, offers the opportunity and tools to help people amplify their voices in community engagement and provides them with pathways back into education. It is a vital resource in empowering people to make a lasting difference in their community.

Conversations on ambition

When O’Rourke and Shinkins arrived, they saw an opportunity to learn from the residents of Kitale. They stepped onto the field with young people whose access to organised sport has not always been guaranteed.

After the games, conversation turned to ambition. The women spoke to the community about how it forms, things that makes it falter, and the importance of rebuilding self-belief in the face of obstacles. Drawing on their own experiences, they spoke candidly about disciple and setbacks, detailing the amount of confidence, persistence and courage it takes to keep pushing through barriers in pursuit of your goals.

By the time they reached Nasokol Girls High School in Kapenguria, the scale of their welcome was unmistakeable. Approximately 1,500 students had gathered, filling the grounds with dance and song. A welcome that spoke to a culture of ambition already taking root, as the school were finalists in the 2025 Young Scientist Kenya Annual Exhibition.

As the performances settled, these girls were inspired by their stories from running as children in counties Cork and Kildare, to being celebrated in global stadiums and winning medals for Ireland. The athletes were brought back, not to podiums and fame, but their beginnings in small communities and schoolyards like this one.

In an interactive session with the girls, students asked questions and listened closely as the athletes spoke about the importance of education, and committing to sport in building their confidence.

Their message was clear, ambition doesn’t begin on the international stage, but with a steady commitment to yourself, be that in the classroom, on the field, and in the belief that one startling line is no less valid than anyone else’s.

In an interactive session with the girls, students asked questions and listened closely as the athletes spoke about the importance of education, and committing to sport in building their confidence.

Their message was clear, ambition doesn’t begin on the international stage, but with a steady commitment to yourself, be that in the classroom, on the field, and in the belief that one startling line is no less valid than anyone else’s.

Challenges beyond the track

The following day, the the athletes moved on to Iten. Widely known as the “Home of Champions”, it is the cradle for Kenya’s long-distance champions. Here, the conversation turned to challenges women face that extend beyond the track.

In a training camp, buzzing with aspiring and professional athletes, conversations turned to experiences of harassment, gender-based violence, and the social pressures that can limit girls’ ability to participate in sports. These are issues that are close to the hearts of people in the region, with the visit falling on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The programme in Iten included a dialogue on gender based violence in sport with a group of professional track athletes in a training camp sponsored by Decathlon, which is one of the first such camps to apply the standard operating procedures on safeguarding female athletes which have been developed through the EU/UNFPA project. The athletes candidly shared their experiences and concerns about harassment and exploitation of female athletes. O’Rourke and Shinkins shared their perspectives and highlighted Ireland’s own journey for female athletes.

The athletes spoke about barriers faced in their own journeys, and O’Rourke and Shinkins took the opportunity to speak about how building support systems like safeguarding, helps bolster self-belief and helped them in their careers.

One key message rose above all others during the discussion: Sport can be a safe space for women’s empowerment as long as there is vigilance, advocacy, and allyship across institutions, peers and genders.

At St Patrick’s High School, the intense atmosphere of the “Home of Champions” was palpable. There, the athletes met with Cork-born Brother Colm O’Connell whose decades long commitment to coaching has helped shape generations of Kenya’s most celebrated distance runners The ceremony of the visit quickly gave way to movement.

Student athletes from St Patrick’s and the neighbouring Sing’ore Girls’ High School, which was also founded by Irish Missionaries, lined up for a training session. For a moment, hierarchy dissolved. There were no longer Olympians and students, but people with a love of sport sharing advice and stories.

Back in Nairobi, in the informal urban settlements of Kibera and Mathare, sport plays a different role. Sport doesn’t only mean fitness, but rather a space to foster leadership and dialogue. O’Rourke and Shinkins joined in, listening as much as speaking to how structured sports can be applied to enhance civic engagement, conflict resolution and accountability, and create steadier ground for young people navigating uncertainty.

The athletes’ last stop was with a TV interview on the primetime ‘Dada’ (Swahili for Sisters) programme on Kenya’s national broadcast channel. Swapping open skies for bright studio lights, the Olympians reflected on their sporting achievements, the mentorship of women and girls, and the lessons they would carry from their experience in Kenya.

By the time they boarded their flight home, the week was certainly more of a marathon than the sprints that O’Rourke and Shinkins are famous for.

Through their varied engagements, our former Irish Olympians encapsulated an important message that talent matters, but belief matters a lot more. When sport is made safe, inclusive and accessible, it becomes more than competition - it becomes a catalyst for the next generation.