Multi-Olympic and world champion, Beatrice Chebet, will forever treasure the years 2024 and 2025.
Chebet, 25, achieved what no other woman has in track and field history by simultaneously holding the Olympic and world 10,000m and 5,000m titles, as well as the world records over both distances.
Chebet, who is also the two-time reigning World Cross Country Champion, has opted to take a break from athletics this year as she focuses on something precious.
She is expecting her first baby with her coach-cum-husband, Peter Bii.
“I really pushed myself to the limit the last two years, and this year, I thought it wise to take time off and recover, and while at it, become a mother,” Chebet told Nation Sports.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates winning the women's 10,000m Final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo on September 13, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Chebet had been named a reserve for Team Kenya at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships, scheduled for January 10, in Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America.
Chebet had been expected to chase another piece of history, attempting to win three consecutive world cross country titles, which would have made her only the third woman in history to attain the feat after Grete Waitz (78,79,80,81) from Norway and Lyn Jennings (1990,1991,1992) from the USA.
Kenya will now bank on half marathon and 10km world record holder Agnes Ng’etich and world half marathon silver medallist Lilian Kasait to defend the senior women’s 10km title.
After making history as the first Kenyan woman to complete a double at the Olympics during the 2024 Paris Summer Games, Chebet, who already had the 10,000m world record intact, set her sights on three things that year -- smashing the 5,000m world record and claiming a double at the World Championships.
After setting a new world record in the 10,000m of 28:54.14 during the Kenyan Olympic trials in Eugene, United States, in 2024, Chebet embarked on a historic mission when she 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 last year.
She then gave Kenya their first victory on the opening day at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year, winning the women’s 10,000m final in 30:37.61.
Chebet is the third athlete to hold both the Olympic and world titles, as well as world records over two track races, after Jamaican Usain Bolt (200m, 100m) and Ethiopian Kenenisa (10,000m, 5,000m).
She will be hoping to emulate the likes of Olympic and world 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon and multi-world and Olympic champion Vivian Cheruiyot, who took a maternity break to return much stronger.
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.
Photo credit: Edgar Su | Reuters
Others include two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, four-time New York City Marathon champion Mary Keitany, and two-time world 5,000m and Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, who took time to have babies before returning to the pinnacle of the sports they love.
After winning the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2017 World 1,500m title, Kipyegon took a break to give birth to her daughter Alyn in June 2018 before successfully returning. She retained her Olympic title in 2020 Tokyo before sealing a hat-trick at the 2024 Paris Games. She also recaptured her world title in 2022 in Oregon and retained it in 2023 Budapest and 2025 Tokyo.
Cheruiyot has two children - Allan Kiprono, born in 2013, and Arielle Jebiwott, born in 2021. Cheruiyot, who had won double gold in 10,000m and 5,000m at the 2011 World Championships, returned to win gold in 10,000m at the 2015 Beijing World Championships and gold in 5,000m at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
