Kenya's Beatrice Chebet Takes 10,000m Gold At World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

TOKYO (13-Sep) -- Kenya's Beatrice Chebet backed up her 2024 Olympic 10,000m title by winning the gold medal in the same discipline here tonight on the opening day at World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 at National Stadium. 

Chebet, 25, who is also the world record holder for the distance, put in some strong mid-race laps capped by a blistering final 800m split of 2:07.5 to hold off Italy's Nadia Battocletti, 30:37.61 to 30:38.23. 

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Battocletti also won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics last summer.  Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay won the bronze in 30:39.65.

"The last 800 was really, really tough," Chebet told reporters in the mixed zone after the race.  "When you are running... anything can happen, and you have to know the last 200, 300, 400, 800, 600, is a very strong lap.  You have to be at the point of, I'm ready, so when they change the gear you have to be there."

Chebet was content to let Ririka Hironaka of Japan lead for the early laps (the crowd roared in approval).  Hironaka took the field through 3000m in an honest 9:19.88. Kenya's Agnes Ngetich, Battocletti, Chebet, Ethiopia's Fotyen Tesfaye and Australia's Lauren Ryan were all close behind.  

The next two kilometers got a little faster, 3:02.33 and 2:54.10, respectively, and that increase in tempo was enough to whittle the lead pack down to six at halfway (15:16.31): Chebet, Ngetich, Battocletti, Tesfaye, Tsegay, and Ejgayehu Taye. Tesfaye got dropped in the sixth kilometer, and the remaining group of five would stay together until the final 800 meters.

"It was insane," Battocletti told reporters about the final laps of the race.  "I know that all of the athletes will have a very strong race."  She told herself, "Just be behind them and we have to... open the nozzle."

Ngetich, who had shared the lead with Chebet in the middle laps, was in third place at the bell, but did not have the speed to match the other women in the final circuit (she would finish fourth in 30:42.66).  Tsegay was the leader at the bell, but when Chebet made her final push with 200 meters to go, Tsegay fell back and had to settle for third in 30:39.65.

Battocletti responded immediately to Chebet's move and seemed to be closing in on the tiny Kenyan, but the Olympic champion had one more gear and got the win.

"For me, I just want to say, I'm ready," Chebet continued.  "I can say it was really my day and I'm so happy for myself."

Down the finish order, Taye got fifth in 30:55.52 and Hironaka finished sixth in 31:09.62 (she bowed to the crowd as she left the field of play).  Elise Cranny was the top American in 12th place in 31:40.07.

"I feel a little bit at a loss on how to bridge the gap," Cranny said.  "I want to be up there and it's super-frustrating."