World Championships 2025: Beatrice Chebet powers to 10,000m world title in Tokyo
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet confirmed her status as the queen of long-distance running after winning the women’s 10,000 metres title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Saturday.
The 25-year-old, already an Olympic champion and world record holder, produced a devastating late burst of speed to cross the line in 30 minutes 37.61 seconds and secure her first ever world championship gold.
Running in her debut world championships 10,000m race, Chebet kept close to defending champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia and Italy’s Nadia Battocletti as the trio broke clear in the final stages. At the bell, Chebet stayed patient, waiting for the last bend before unleashing her trademark kick. Her rivals had no answer as she surged ahead, smiling as she claimed her historic victory.
“This was a tough, very tactical race,” Chebet said afterwards. “I ran the last 800 metres like it was a 1500m race. My mind told me to push, to fight, because I really wanted this gold medal. I have never won a world title before, so I was sure I had to get it.”
Battocletti chased hard down the final straight but had to settle for silver in 30:38.23, setting a new Italian record and winning her country’s first medal in this event at the world championships. Tsegay, who had led an Ethiopian podium sweep in Budapest two years ago, held on for bronze in 30:39.65, just ahead of Chebet’s teammate Agnes Ngetich.
Earlier in the race, Japan’s Ririka Hironaka delighted the home crowd by leading for the first eight laps before the big names took charge. From then, the pace gradually built, with a tight pack that included Chebet, Tsegay, Ngetich, Battocletti and 2023 bronze medallist Ejgayehu Taye battling it out for supremacy. Taye eventually dropped away when Tsegay made her move with 1,000 metres to go, leaving the decisive sprint finish to Chebet.
For Chebet, the gold medal adds another chapter to her growing legacy. Nicknamed the “Smiling Assassin” for her calm but ruthless finishing speed, she now turns her attention to the 5,000 metres final next Saturday. Victory there would make her only the third woman in history to complete the 5,000m and 10,000m double at a world championships, after Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba in 2005 and Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot in 2011.
With her Olympic gold, world record, and now a world title, Chebet has firmly established herself as the woman to beat in long-distance running.