Premium
Beatrice Chebet becomes first woman to hold Olympic, world 10,000m and 5,000m titles
Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon celebrate with their national flags after winning gold and silver in the women's 5000m final at Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, on September 20, 2025.
Olympic 10,000metres and 5,000m champion, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet, has made history at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Chebet, 25, won her maiden world 5,000m in a commanding fashion on Saturday, to make history as the first woman to hold both the Olympic and world 10,000m and 5,000m titles as well as world records in the two distances.
Chebet waited patiently before charging forward on the homestretch, clocking 14 minutes and 54.36 seconds to win and dethrone compatriot Faith Kipyegon off the world title.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet crosses the finish line to win the women's 5000m final ahead of Faith Kipyegon at Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - on September 20, 2025.
Chebet, who won the world 10,000m title on the opening day of the championships last Saturday, relegated Kipyegon, who had also retained her world 1,500m title, to silver medal in season best 14:55.07.
Paris Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Italian Nadia Battocletti, who had claimed silver in 10,000m, settled for bronze this time around in 14:55.42.
Chebet, who had claimed bronze in 5,000m at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary, strides to the Olympics 10,000m and 5,000m double at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
Chebet set a new world record in 10,000m of 28:54.14 during the Olympic trials in Eugene, United States, last and broke the 5,000m world record with a new time of 13:58.06 during the national trials for the world championships in Eugene on July 5 this year.
Gold medallist Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates after the women's 5000m final with silver medallist Kenya's Faith Kipyegon and bronze medallist Italy's Nadia Battocletti at Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, on September 20, 2025.
Chebet is now the third person in history to hold world records in two races after Usain Bolt (100m, 200m) and Kenenisa Bekele (10,000m, 5,000m).
Even as Kipyegon took the lead before the bell, Chebet patiently waited before unleashing an explosive charge, overtaking Kipyegon mid-way to seal a double in Tokyo.
The performance saw Kenya solidify its second place in the medal standings on the penultimate day of the championships with nine medals; five gold, all from women, two silver and two bronze medals.
USA tops with 20 medals; 12 gold, four silver and four bronze.
