As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games unfold, all eyes are on Beatrice Chebet, the reigning Olympic 5,000m champion, who is set to compete in the women’s 10,000m final later tonight. Chebet, who made headlines by securing gold in the 5,000m event earlier this week, is now aiming to achieve a rare Olympic double—a feat that would cement her place in the annals of Kenyan athletics history.
Chebet’s victory in the 5,000m was nothing short of spectacular. In a thrilling final lap, she surged in the last 50 meters to overtake two-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and the formidable Dutch runner Sifan Hassan, crossing the finish line in a dramatic fashion. Her triumph over such seasoned athletes has fueled anticipation for her performance in the 10,000m, where she will once again be representing Kenya alongside compatriots Margaret Chelimo and Lilian Kasait.
Kasait enters the race as the second-fastest runner of the year, boasting a remarkable time of 29:26.89, while Chelimo, who finished fifth in the 5,000m final, has a personal best of 29:27.59. The Kenyan trio will face a formidable challenge from a strong field of competitors, including defending champion Sifan Hassan, who holds a season-best time of 29:06.82. Also in contention are Ethiopia’s two-time world 5,000m record-holder Gudaf Tsegay and her compatriots Fotyen Tesfay and Tsigie Gebreselama.
Chebet, undeterred by the stiff competition, is determined to make history by becoming the first Kenyan athlete to win an Olympic double in the 5,000m and 10,000m. However, her task will not be easy. A victory for Hassan would make her the only woman to win the Olympic 10,000m title consecutively since Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba achieved the feat at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games.
In her pre-race comments, Chebet acknowledged the challenge ahead, stating, “This is a different race, and I have to use a different technique to emerge victorious. It will be tough, but I will try my best.” The race is scheduled to take place at 9:47 p.m. at the iconic Stade de France, and fans around the world will be eagerly watching to see if Chebet can secure her second gold medal of the Games.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Commonwealth Games titleholder Wycliffe Kinyamal are set to compete in the 800m semifinals this afternoon. The duo will be looking to advance to the final and inch closer to a medal after strong performances in their respective heats. Wanyonyi, a world silver medalist, comfortably won heat three with a time of 1:44.64, while Kinyamal secured third place in his heat, clocking 1:45.86.
Wanyonyi will face tough competition in semifinal 3, where he will go up against Botswana’s Haingura Kethobogile and Italy’s Simone Barontini. Kinyamal, on the other hand, will compete in heat 2 against Algeria’s Gouaned Mohamed Ali and the USA’s Hobbs Kessler. The top two finishers in each of the three semifinals, along with the next two fastest athletes, will advance to the final.
With Tokyo 2020 winner Emmanuel Korir absent from the event, Wanyonyi and Kinyamal are determined to ensure that the Kenyan national anthem is played on the podium once again as a new 800m champion is crowned. The 800m semifinals are set to begin at 2:40 p.m., and both athletes will be striving to keep Kenya’s rich middle-distance running tradition alive at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
