TOKYO2025: Chebet delivers another gold after edging Kipyegon in best friend derby
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 20.09.25. | 16:11
The result was a near mirror of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the pair had also claimed gold and silver, cementing their dominance in the long-distance event
World record holders Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon lit up the Tokyo World Championships on Saturday, 20 September, as they stormed to a stunning 1-2 finish in the women’s 5,000m final.
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Chebet, the reigning Olympic champion, executed a perfect race plan, powering home in 14:54.36 to clinch gold.
Hot on her heels was her close friend and training partner, Kipyegon, who produced a late surge to secure silver in 14:55.07, adding yet another medal to her glittering career.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti completed the podium with bronze in 14:55.42.
The result was a near mirror of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where the pair had also claimed gold and silver, cementing their dominance in the long-distance event.
The race, however, was anything but straightforward. At the 300m mark, Agnes Jebet led ahead of Kipyegon and Chebet, with the Kenyan favourites sitting cautiously in sixth and eighth.
By the 1,000m mark, Chebet had slipped to 11th and Kipyegon was still buried in the pack, while Jebet fought to stay among the frontrunners.
At 2,100m, Jebet clawed her way into third place as Shelby Houlihan and Josette Andrews dictated the pace.
Chebet began to climb steadily, moving into fifth, while Kipyegon still lingered in 10th. By 3,000m, Chebet dropped to sixth as Jebet surged into second, with Battocletti closing in.
But it was the final 600m that defined the race. Kipyegon and Chebet switched gears with a devastating kick, cutting through the field to secure a historic Kenyan 1-2.
The crowd roared as the two friends crossed the line together, sharing yet another career-defining moment.
It was heartbreak, though, for Agnes Jebet, who faded badly in the closing laps to finish 15th in 15:13.78.
