The University of Nairobi’s Hotrods Quartet won the Open Lanes Varsity Invitational in Nairobi after scoring 30 points to secure a South Africa trip.

A press release dated 8 Oct 2026 said fellow University of Nairobi team Untamed finished second with 28 points.

“The students have shown the power of teamwork and strategy,” On’s Director of Africa Navalayo Osembo said.

The event connects On’s sporting activities with Kenya’s university community through a competition designed for ordinary students rather than elite athletes.

Kenyatta University’s Endzone finished third with 22 points according to the release.

The Hotrods Quartet earned 10 points per race to become the inaugural champions and claim a fully paid race experience in South Africa.

The finals followed weeks of campus qualifiers involving students from Kenyatta University, CUEA, JKUAT, Riara University, Strathmore University and the University of Nairobi.

The competition progressed from campus qualifiers through knockout rounds before teams reached the final stage.

The release said the format tested participants’ speed, endurance and coordination through specially designed races that included steeplechase and relay events.

Teams had to decide how to deploy their members across different challenges to accumulate the points needed for the overall title.

“Winning the Open Lanes competition still feels surreal for me and my team,” the winning team’s captain said.

The release did not identify the captain by name or provide the names of the other members of the winning team.

“Every race pushed us differently and we had to rely on each other to make the right decisions as a team,” the captain said.

Osembo said the Open Lanes concept aimed to give ordinary individuals an opportunity to compete and challenge themselves on the track.

“We are excited to reward the winning team with an opportunity to take that experience to South Africa,” Osembo said.

The release did not disclose the value of the trip or the cost of staging the university competition.

For Kenya’s business audience the event offers a view of On’s engagement with students rather than evidence of sales or investment growth.

The release provided no Kenyan sales figures or local expansion targets for the brand.

On said it began in the Swiss Alps in 2010 and sells footwear, apparel and accessories across several sporting and everyday activities.

The company said it operates in more than 80 countries globally.

The Hotrods Quartet will take up the South Africa race experience at a date not specified in the release.