Kipyegon, Chebet's role in fuelling Agnes Jebet’s Grand Slam ambition
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 05.08.25. | 16:40
The 24-year-old debuted in the Michael Johnson-owned Grand Slam Track series in Miami, where she clinched gold in the 5000m
World 10km record holder Agnes Jebet Ng’etich has revealed how inspiration from Kenyan greats Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet propelled her towards a defining chapter in her athletics journey, competing in the Grand Slam Track series.
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Jebet, who has been a dominant force across cross country, road, and track this season, credited the two world champions for nudging her out of her comfort zone and into a new challenge that has sharpened her track speed ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
The 24-year-old debuted in the Michael Johnson-owned Grand Slam Track series in Miami, where she clinched gold in the 5000m with a time of 14:25. She followed that up with a second-place finish in the 3000m, posting a personal best of 8:28.75.
In Philadelphia, she returned even stronger, unleashing a powerful final kick to outpace Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye in the 3000m and bag another gold in 8:43.61.
“It helped me develop my speed on the track, but the likes of Faith and Beatrice motivated me, and I decided to give it a chance. That is when I signed for Grand Slam, hoping that I would get that speed as a build-up to my season.
I did well in all the Grand Slam events. With only weeks to Tokyo, I am confident I will keep improving,” she told Mozzart Sport.
These performances not only boosted her track credentials but also reinforced her readiness for the Tokyo World Championships, where she will be competing in both the 5000m and 10,000m, a tough double she is tackling for the first time.
“It is every athlete's dream to compete at the World Championships, and I thank God that I finally have that chance. Last year, I did not compete in the Paris Olympics due to an injury, and this chance will help me regain the time I lost.
I will be competing with the best like Faith Kipyegon, and I am optimistic that we will bring the medals home,” she continued.
Jebet’s 2025 campaign has been nothing short of phenomenal. Her year kicked off with a dominant victory at the Sirikwa Classic, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event held in Eldoret, where she led from gun to tape, clocking 32:42 and fending off none other than Faith Kipyegon.
Her upward trajectory continued in April at the Adizero Road to Records race in Germany, where she stunned the world by becoming the first woman to run a women-only 10km race under 30 minutes.
Her time of 29:27 obliterated the previous record held by the late Agnes Tirop (30:01), cementing her name in the history books.
At the prestigious Prefontaine Classic in July, Jebet underlined her growing reputation, finishing second in the 5000m in 14:01.29, the third-fastest time in history, behind Beatrice Chebet’s world-leading 13:58.06.
Most recently, she competed at the Tokyo World Championships trials on Tuesday, 22 July, finishing second in the 10,000m with a time of 30:27.4, earning her a place in the Team Kenya squad.
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