Chebet's name doesn't ring a bell for World Athletics despite two Olympic gold and world record

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates after winning the women's 10000m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 9, 2024.[AFP]

You were either inside one of the world’s athletics sporting cathedrals or watching the 2024 world cross country championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

And one lithe female athlete must have excited you –Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet staging impressive shows. Two Olympic gold medals (5000m and 10,000m), a world record, Diamond League Trophy win and a world cross country crown. It was a sight to behold.

From south pole to north pole, she wowed the sporting world in two seasons: cross country and track.

Chebet set the world 10,000m record of 28:54.14 at the Prefontaine Classic meet in Eugene, USA, this season. This is in addition to a World Cross Country senior title in Belgrade, Serbia, in March and winning the World Athletics Diamond League Trophy.

The 24-year-old Chebet became the first Kenyan woman to win Olympic 10,000m gold and wrapped it up with another gold in 5000m in Paris –no other Kenyan athlete has achieved at the Olympic Games.

Chebet battled for the final spot with Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, USA, Marileidy Paulino, from the Dominican Republic and Gabby Thomas from the USA. 

Alfred, who won Olympic 100m and world indoor title and America’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic 400m hurdles champion, were named female World Track Athlete of the Year finalists.

Alfred won Saint Lucia’s first ever senior global medal in athletics when she stormed to the world indoor 60m title in Glasgow in March and she went on to become her nation’s first Olympic medallist in any sport, getting 100m gold in Paris in August.

She won Olympic 200m silver and set a national record of 10.72.

But Chebet, a police officer, is no doubt the darling of Kenyans and has certainly excited the Kenyan community.

She lit up stadiums across the globe in the Diamond League meets including the Olympic Games while even setting world records –have what it takes to claim the global honours.

Not even the disciples could stop her insatiable hunger for glory –but only God. She looked destined for the global top prize.

But she was excluded in the final list of nominees for the World Track Athlete of the Year awards set for Monte Carlo, Monaco, on December 1.

The decision left her fans from far and wide crestfallen. It generated a lot of reactions.

She became the first Kenyan to win the double-distance Olympic gold medals at the same Games having already set a new 10,000m world record earlier this year to become the first woman in history to run 10,000m in under 29 minutes.

These accomplishments were part of a set of ambitious objectives that Chebet had previously set herself after being inspired by her grandmother to take up long-distance running.

In just over two years, she has seen a meteoric rise to the top and checked off almost every single one of her running targets in the process.

Faith Kipyegon, who won Olympic 1500m gold and set a world 1500m record, put the Kenyan women World Athlete of the Year winning bid in motion last year.

She became the first Kenyan athlete in history to win 1500m and 5000m at the World Championships. She did it in a record 50 days.

Her impressive performances came 12 years after Vivian Cheruiyot won the 2011 World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria in Spain and then won gold in 5000m and 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, that year.

In a scenario similar to what has happened to Chebet, she missed out the World Athlete of the Year crown to Australian 100m hurdler Sally Pearson.

It came after world 800m record holder David Rudisha emerged as the first Kenyan to win the World Athlete of the Year title in 2010.

Daniel Kipng’etich Komen, who held two world records (3000m outdoor and two mile), lost the coveted award by a single vote in 1996. Former world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge won back to back in 2018 and 2019.

The World Athletics Awards 2024 will see 12 finalists – six women and six men – in contention for the World Athlete of the Year awards.

Each category – track, field and out of stadium – features two finalists. A final round of voting –cast by fans of the sport – closed on Sunday.

Ruth Chepng’etich took almost two minutes off the world record when she won the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56 last month – a feat of biblical proportion. She has been named in the World Female Athlete of the Year finalist in road running.

Becoming the first woman to break 2:10 for 26.2 miles, she secured her third Chicago Marathon victory and a more than four-minute personal best.

Remarkably, only nine athletes went quicker in the men’s race. Her performance also included a split of 1:04:16 at halfway.

“I feel so great. I’m very proud of myself,” she said. “This is my dream. I fought a lot, thinking about the world record.”

Chepng’etich’s time could have equaled or almost neared those of marathon big shots in Ethiopia’s Haile Gebreselassie, Paul Tergat, Evans Rutto, Martin Lel, Mo Farah and Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei in their 42km

She would have even neared the former Olympic record of late Samuel Wanjiru. It put to test the belief of athletics fans.

Chepng’etich is an athlete of high repute in marathons. Sample her calling card:  2019 world champion and three-time Chicago Marathon winner.

The women’s world marathon record has evolved steadily since 1985 when Grete Waitz posted 2:25.28 in London and athletes have been shaving off huge margins in world records.

Kenyan athlete Beatrice Chebet celebrates after winning the women's 10000m finals at the Paris Olympics. [AFP]

Since then, the women’s world record has been broken 11 times with Kenyans slapping new marks on five occasions.

Chepng’etich slashed one minute and 57 seconds off the previous record, but that margin of improvement is no news in the women’s marathon. Last year, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa (2:11.53) broke Brigid Kosgei’s record of 2:14.04. Brigid broke Paula Radcliffe’s all-time mark of 2:15.25.

Chepng’etich went through 5km in a blistering 15:00 and 10km in 30:14 – times which are quicker than her PBs for those distances. She then hit halfway in 64:16 – only a few seconds outside her PB of 64:02 and the fifth quickest time in history for 13.1 miles.

Chepngetich’s 2:09.56 means the women’s world record is 9:21 slower than Kelvin Kiptum’s men’s world record of 2:00.35.

Three Kenyan Olympic champions in Faith Kipyegon (1500m), Beatrice Chebet (5000m and 10,000m) and Emmanuel Wanyonyi (800m) were nominated for the 2024 Track World Athlete of the Year awards.

Wanyonyi, a fast-rising athlete who endured numerous challenges while heading cattle to ascend to the pinnacle of 800m, won the two-lap race gold and crowned it with the World Athletics Diamond League Trophy.

He battled Rai Benjamin of USA, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, Noah Lyles of USA, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and America’s Grant Holloway.