Mozzart Sport writers best athlete of Paris 2024 Olympics

With the dust having settled on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Mozzart Sport writers embark on a series of articles to review the 33rd edition of the Games.

In this particular article, our writers pick their best Kenyan athlete of the Games, and it was a no-brainer with all the writers reaching a unanimous decision.

KEVIN TEYA (Beatrice Chebet)

This was an easy decision for me—Beatrice Chebet. She not only secured Kenya’s first gold at the Olympics but also claimed two of the four gold medals Kenya won in Paris.

Chebet defeated pre-race favourite Faith Kipyegon in the 5000m final and also managed to outpace Nadia Battocletti and marathon winner Sifan Hassan to win gold in the 10,000m final.

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By far, she was Kenya’s top performer in Paris and at just 24, the future is bright for Chebet and, by extension, for Kenyan middle-distance running—and who knows, maybe even long-distance in the future.

SAMMY GITAHI (Beatrice Chebet)

Goes without saying - Beatrice Chebet.

Was so easy to write her off given the winners she came up against in both races - Siffan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon, and Gudaf Tsegay.

Instead, the 24-year-old, taking part in her first Olympic Games, showed zero signs of being afraid of the moment, ran her race in both instances - 5000 and 10,000m - and produced a kick afterwards that we doubted she had.

Oh! And did I say she became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympics 10,000m gold?

MESHACK KISENGE (Beatrice Chebet)

Ignoring what Beatrice Chebet achieved on the Stade de France track is difficult.

Securing victories in the 5000m and the 10000m at such a big stage and in your first appearance is not a mean feat.

Many Kenyans, myself included, had predicted that Faith Kipyegon would be the sole athlete to mine two golds in Paris but she did not make it.

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However, it would be unfair not to mention that she defended her 1500m title and added a 5000m silver on it.

Chebet beat a rich field in the 5000m final and went on to become the first Kenyan to win the 10000m Olympic Games crown.

BRIAN ODHIAMBO (Beatrice Chebet)

That 5000m final sprint in the last 200m to beat Faith Kipyegon to gold was incredible by Beatrice Chebet.

No one expected her to bag the prestigious medal in the track event.

Days later, against a strong field that included history-maker Sifan Hassan, Chebet ran the race of her life to become the first Kenyan woman to win gold in the 10,000m women's category.

Of the four gold medals won by Kenya, 50% came from Chebet, and without hesitation, she is my athlete of the tournament.

IMRAN OTIENO (Beatrice Chebet)

Not even in her wildest dreams did Beatrice Chebet think she would do the 10,000m and 5000m double on her Olympic debut.

But that is exactly what transpired in Paris as she ripped up the history books, becoming the first Kenyan woman to claim Olympic gold in the 10,000m despite our country being a conveyor belt for producing middle and long-distance athletes.

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The double delight also saw her become only the third woman after Tirunesh Dibaba and Sifan Hassan to win the 5000m and 10,000m double at the Olympic Games.

Her stats keep getting polished as she claimed half of Kenya's gold medals in Paris.

LYNETTE MATHEKA (Beatrice Chebet)

Beatrice Chebet's feat stands head and shoulders above all the other performers. Heading to the Games as the world record holder in 10,000m and doubling with the 5000m put her in perfect position for two medals but few gave the double for her a thought. 

Winning Kenya's first ever 10,000m Olympic gold since the distance was introduced for women has etched her in the history books. Hopefully, she had started a dominance we will live to enjoy for years.