Billah Jepkirui | Image courtesy Oklahoma State
Swiss running brand On has signed Kenyan middle-distance runner Billah Jepkirui of Oklahoma State University to its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) roster, extending a recruitment drive that has made East African collegiate athletes a central part of its US pipeline.
Jepkirui, 24, ran 4:04.59 for 1,500m at the Arkansas Spring Invitational in April, the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history. She was named Most Outstanding Performer at the Drake Relays after anchoring Oklahoma State’s 4x800m relay to 8:16.65, the second-fastest collegiate time on record, and its Distance Medley Relay to the title. On says she is also an NCAA indoor mile runner-up (4:27.14) and a top-10 finisher at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
A pipeline built on Kenyan talent
The Zurich-based company described the signing as part of an expansion of its youth development programme. It follows a run of Kenyan collegiate signings: in August 2025 On added Doris Lemngole (Alabama), Marion Jepngetich (New Mexico) and Joy Naukot (West Virginia) to its NIL roster, and Lemngole has since moved to its professional team.
An NIL deal lets On attach itself to an athlete while she is still a student, at a fraction of the cost of a professional contract, and puts the brand first in line when she turns pro. Nike and Adidas control much of US college track through school-wide kit agreements, so individual NIL contracts are one of the few routes a challenger brand has to the fastest runners in the NCAA. A disproportionate number of those runners are Kenyan.
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