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Chebet, Jebet, Chepngetich: Kenya women’s 10,000m dream team in Tokyo
Janeth Chepngetich (right) celebrates with Agnes Jebet Ngetich and Beatrice Chebet after the trio filled up the podium places in the women’s 10,000m race at Athletics Kenya National Trials for the 2025 World Athletics Championships at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi on July 22.
Chebet or Jebet is a Kalenjin name given to a girl born in the full light of day, when the sun shines at its brightest. Chepngetich is a name given to a girl born in the morning hours, as the sun rises.
Interestingly, the Kenyan team in the women's 10,000m is illuminated by all three names.
The team features two (J)Chebets -- Beatrice Chebet and Agnes Jebet Ngetich, and a Janeth Chepngetich who won the national trials on July 22.
The formidable trio will carry Kenya’s flag tomorrow when the first final on track, the women’s 10,000m, is held in Tokyo, Japan.
From left, Beatrice Chebet, Agnes Ngétich and Janeth Chepng’etich take part in the women's 10,000m of the Kenyan trials for the 2025 World Athletics Championships at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi, on July 22, 2025.
The race will play out at the 68,000-seater Japan National Stadium, the venue that hosted the 2020 Olympic Games held in 2021.
Jebet and Chebet hold, between them, a staggering five world records.
Chebet commands the 10,000m, the 5,000m, and the 5km world records while Jebet owns the two women’s 10km world records—standard and women-only.
Beatrice Chebet wins the women's 5,000m in a world record 13:58.06 during the 50th Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in the USA on Jul 5, 2025.
Yet Chepngetich, the reigning African Games champion, served a powerful reminder of her potency at the Kenya trials when she floored her more illustrious runners at the Ulinzi Complex in Langata, Nairobi in their women’s 10,000m showdown.
Now, these three women arrive at the World Athletics Championships in the form of their lives..
Whether metaphorically or prophetically, their names don't just describe their birth, it might foretell a nation's destiny in lighting up Japan National Stadium track tomorrow at 3.30pm, Kenyan time.
The trio were among the first group of Kenyan athletes to arrive in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
Kenya's prospect of winning gold has never been brighter, never felt more certain in the women’s 10,000m.
For the first time, the prospect of a clean sweep—a podium painted 1-2-3 in Kenyan colours—shines bright.
But the three better watch out for the challenge of the Ethiopians.
Ethiopia swept the women’s 10,000m podium at the 2023 Budapest Championships, Gudaf Tsegay winning, followed by Letesenbet Gidey and Ejgayehu Taye. Tsegay and Taye are in Tokyo
Kenyans Irene Kimais, Jebet and Grace Nawawouna finished fourth, sixth and ninth respectively.
Jebet, who trains in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County under Ikaika Athletics Club, said yesterday she was confident of shining in Tokyo as she made her second appearance at the championships.
Kenya's Agnes Ng'etich.
“As we compete on Saturday after good preparations back at home, I don’t feel any pressure because this is a championship and everyone is running her own race,” said Jebet on phone from Tokyo.
Jebet who, like Chebet, is also doubling in the 5,000m, said she trusted her preparations to deliver. “It shall be tough affair doubling but it’s a challenge that I want to give myself so that I can be able to see what will happen in the end in terms of winning medals,” she added.
Chebet will be looking to add the world title to her 2024 Paris Olympic triumph.
Retired athlete Sally Barsosio, the first Kenyan to win women’s 10,000m gold medal at the World Championships, at 1997 Athens, believes the country will reclaim a title that has eluded it for the last 10 years.
In fact, Kenya has bagged four medals in this race first introduced to the championships in 1987.
Linet Masai accounts for the other gold medals, 2009 Berlin, and Vivian Cheruiyot 2011 Daegu, and 2015 Beijing.
“The team looks strong and what they need to do is to hang on with the leading group because the 25-lap race is not an easy one. They also need to be attentive to how the other competitors react before they unleash their strength in the last few laps and go for glory,” said Barsosio.
Meanwhile, due to expected elevated heat conditions that could pose a health and safety risk to competing athletes, all road events on the first three days of the championships will start 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled, according to World Athletics.
The new start time for the women’s and men’s 35 kilometres race walk tomorrow, women’s marathon on Sunday, and men’s marathon on Monday is 7:30am and not 8am as originally planned.
