Premium
Kenya has again shown that with good planning, we can top the world
Women's 1,500m champion and 5,000m silver medallist Faith Kipyegon (center) displays her medals at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi upon arrival from the World Athletics Champions in Tokyo September 23, 2025.
What you need to know:
- For the ladies to win five gold medals and one silver in Tokyo is no mean achievement.
- Again, we had a female athlete competing in field events for the first time in history.
This week in Tokyo, Kenya again proved that it is an athletics powerhouse to the world. Kenya finished second overall in the 20th edition of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with 11 medals of seven gold, two silver and two bronze.
We finished second to the United States of America which collected a total of 25 medals of 15 gold, five silver, and five bronze. Our strong finish underlines our status as giants in athletics globally.
We put a huge gap between ourselves and Canada, which was the third-placed team. Canada finished third overall with four medals of three gold and one bronze, followed by the Netherlands which collected five medals (two gold, two silver and one bronze).
Positives to pick from Tokyo
Our brothers from Botswana finished joint fifth with New Zealand and Spain with a total of three medals (two gold and one silver), while Jamaica were ninth on 10 medals of one gold, six silver and three bronze. Ethiopia finished 22nd with two silver medals and two bronze medals.
There were a lot of positives to pick from Tokyo. Kenya became the first country in the history of the championships to win all the gold medals on offer in the track races between the 800m, and the marathon. This performance coincided with a very good run for Kenyan women. Peres Jepchirchir, 31, won Kenya’s first gold medal of the championship in women’s marathon on the first day of the competition, then Beatrice Chebet won gold medals in women’s 10,000m and 5,000m, and Faith Cherotich took home the 3,000m steeplechase title.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon then claimed gold in women’s 1,500m, and Lilian Odira summed up the good outing by Kenyan women at the championship with gold medal in the women’s 800m. Dorcas Ewoi won the silver medal in women’s 1,500m.
Exceptional performance
Emmanuel Wanyonyi won gold in men’s 800m, Edmund Serem won bronze medal in men’s 3,000m steeplechase, and Reynold Cheruiyot took silver in men’s 1,500m. I am very proud of our achievements here, and I congratulate the whole team.
I congratulate our female athletes for an exceptional performance in Tokyo. For the ladies to win five gold medals and one silver in Tokyo is no mean achievement. Again, we had a female athlete competing in field events for the first time in history.
Irene Jepkemboi made us very proud when she competed in women’s javelin against some of the best athletes from the whole world. As we prepare to table a solid bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, let us keep up the good work. The sky is the limit.
Korir is Director for Youth and Development at Athletics Kenya, and is first vice chairman of the National Olympics Committee of Kenya
