World Cross Country Championships gold medallist Beatrice Chebet will skip the National Cross Country Championships as she embarks on a journey to winning the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The National Cross Country Championships is slated for February 8, 2025 at Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County.
Chebet, the Olympics 10,000m and 5,000m champion, said her victory in two kilometres race in National Police Service Cross Country Championships on Friday at Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi, was part of her preparation for 2025 Mumbai 10km due February 16 in India.
Chebet, 24, also said that her ultimate target this season is to seal a double in 5,000m and 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships scheduled for September 13 to 21 this year in Tokyo, Japan.
“I have previously won bronze and silver medals at the World Athletics Championships, and my main aim this season is to finally secure gold medal in the two races in Tokyo,” Chebet, who won silver in the 5,000m at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and claimed bronze medal over the same distance in the 2023 edition in Budapest, said.
Should she achieve the feat, Chebet will become the first woman to hold both the Olympics and world 5,000m and 10,000m titles concurrently.
Chebet holds both the women only (14:13, Barcelona 2023) and mixed (13:54, Barcelona 2024) 5km world records, as well as the 10,000m world record (28:54.14 - Eugene 2024).
“It’s my dream to build on my performance, and to enrich my running profile. I did not plan to break those records last year, but it happened in one way or another,” Chebet said.
She described her sub-29 minutes run over 10,000m in Prefontaine, sub 14 minutes in 5km in Barcelona and the Olympic double as phenomenal.
Chebet opted not to defend her 10km title in National Police Service Cross Country Championships on Friday at Ngong Racecourse, instead competing in the 5km race which she won in 5 minutes, 54.1 seconds, edging out her compatriot from Eastern Region Caroline Nyaga (6:14.5) followed by Winfred Mbithe (6:18.6) to wrap the podium places.
“I ended the 2024 season well, and am off to a flying start this year,” said Chebet.
On December 31, Chebet won the 5km Cursa dels Nassos road race (mixed) in a world record time of 13 minutes 54 seconds in Barcelona. She became the first woman to run the race in under 14 minutes.
However, Chebet’s focus this year isn’t on breaking more records but delivering a double over 5,000m and 10,000m in Tokyo.
“I don’t have plans for records this year but it can happen in good race conditions, and depending on how my body feels,” said Chebet.
The athlete said she feels humbled that her achievements so far are inspiring a new generation of athletes.
“I want to make sure I am a good role model to many, follow the right ways in athletics and avoiding shortcuts like doping. Discipline is the key to success,” said Chebet.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Africa 1,500m champion Abel Kipsang dominated the men’s 2km race at the National Police Service Cross Country Championships.
Kipsang won the race in a time of 5:24.1 to beat Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwot (5:28.0) and Duncan Rotich (5:29.0) to second and third place respectively.
