In Tokyo
Kenyan medallists from the just-concluded 2025 World Athletics Championships will smile all the way to the bank following a cash windfall from the event organisers. The team will also get additional juicy cash rewards from the government.
When more than 2,000 athletes from 200 countries and territories descended on Japan National Stadium for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, organisers set aside a rich prize purse.
For starters, athletes who set world records in the September 13-21 global track and field championships are eligible for a special award of $100,000 (Sh12.9 million) offered by Japanese multinational electronics corporation TDK, and World Athletics.
According to World Athletics, athletes must have registered a performance in Tokyo that is an improvement on the existing World Athletics world record. Performances that equal the existing world record are not eligible for a world record award.
Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis is the only athlete eligible for this reward after his world breaking 6.30m effort in pole vault to claim his third world title in four years.
Money for the world record aside, a total of $8,498,000 (Sh1.094 billion) in prize money was on offer in Tokyo. The prize money was distributed as follows:
For individual events, each gold medallist was entitled to $70,000 (Sh9.03 million), silver medallist $35,000 (Sh4.5m,) and bronze medallist $22,000 (Sh2.8m).
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon celebrates with her gold medal and a Kenya flag after winning the World Athletics Championships women's 1500m final at Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan on September 16, 2025.
Photo credit: Dylan Martinez | Reuters
Fourth-placed finishers will take home $16,000 (Sh2.06m), the fifth-placed finishers $11,000 (Sh1.4m), and the sixth-place finishers $7,000 (Sh0.9m).
An athlete who finished in seventh place will get $6,000 (Sh774,851), while those in eighth place are entitled to $5,000 (Sh645,709).
Peres Jepchirchir won Kenya’s first gold medal of the championship in women’s marathon on the second day of the competition, and Beatrice Chebet added two more gold medals in the women’s 10,000m and the 5,000m.
Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir celebrates after winning the women's marathon final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 14, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Faith Cherotich took home the 3,000m steeplechase title, and Faith Kipyegon claimed gold in the women’s 1,500m, and a silver medal in the women’s 5000m. Lilian Odira summed up a good outing by Kenyan women with gold medal in the women’s 800m. Emmanuel Wanyonyi won gold in the men’s 800m final.
Kenya's Faith Cherotich celebrates winning the women's 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Dorcas Ewoi won the silver medal in the women’s 1,500m, while Edmund Serem claimed bronze medal in men’s 3,000m steeplechase, and Reynold Cheruiyot took bronze in the men’s 1,500m.
For winning gold in Tokyo, Jepchirchir, Cherotich, Kipyegon, Odira and Wanyonyi will each get Sh9.03m.
Chebet will get a tidy Sh18.06m, having won gold medal in two different races. Kenyan silver medallists Cheruiyot and Ewoi will each take home Sh4.5m, while bronze medallist Serem will get Sh2.8m.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi celebrates with his national flag after winning gold in the men's 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 20, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
In total, the team will get a Sh105 million payout -- Sh78 million from World Athletics and Sh27 million from the Kenyan government.
Separately, the team will benefit from enhanced reward scheme announced by the government on September 3. Kenyan gold medallists from Tokyo will receive Sh3 million, up from Sh750,000.
Silver medallists will earn Sh2 million up from Sh500,000, while bronze medallists will receive Sh1 million, up from Sh350,000 previously paid to them.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates after winning the women's 10,000m gold at World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 13, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Chebet is in line to pocket Sh18m, the heaviest pay cheque in the team, from her double act in Tokyo
In terms of daily allowances, each athlete in the team will get an enhanced daily allowance ranging from $60 (Sh7,800) to $200 (Sh26,000), while officials who represent the country abroad will get between $80 and $300.
“We have also enhanced rewards for winners in the Commonwealth Games. The new package raises cash awards for gold medal winners from Sh500,000 to Sh2.5 million, Sh300,000 to Sh1.5 million for silver, and Sh200,000 to KSh1 million for bronze,” President William Ruto said at the time.
