The stage is set for one of the most anticipated showdowns at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 as Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon prepare to renew their rivalry in the women’s 5000m.
The race brings together the four fastest women in history, but much of the spotlight will fall on Chebet, the double Olympic champion and world record-holder, and Kipyegon, the reigning world champion and her long-time idol. It will mark their first clash since the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Chebet famously stormed to gold in record-breaking fashion, relegating Kipyegon to silver.
Chebet made history at the Prefontaine Classic in July by becoming the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier, clocking 13:58.06 at a race that also doubled as the Kenyan trials. The 2022 silver medallist and 2023 bronze medallist is determined to complete her World Championships medal collection by adding gold in Tokyo.
Kipyegon, enters the competition in formidable form. Though she has not raced the 5000m since Paris, she signaled her readiness with a blistering 8:07.04 over 3000m in Silesia three weeks ago, just shy of the world record and the second-fastest time ever. That run pushed Chebet’s 8:11.56 down to third on the all-time list, proving that the defending champion remains a force to be reckoned with.
Kenya will field a powerful team with Agnes Ngetich and Margaret Akidor also lining up. Ngetich, the 10km world record-holder and now the third-fastest woman in 5000m history, has carried her road-running dominance onto the track with wins in Brussels and Miramar. Akidor, based in Japan, adds further depth to Kenya’s medal ambitions.
But Ethiopia, a traditional powerhouse in long-distance running, poses a significant threat. Gudaf Tsegay, the 2022 world 5000m champion and 2023 world 10,000m champion, is hungry for redemption after leaving Paris without a medal. She is backed by a strong supporting cast, including world indoor 3000m champion Freweyni Hailu, world U20 record-holder Birke Haylom, and two-time world U20 champion Medina Eisa, though only three will make the final cut.
The contest is not limited to East Africa. Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, the Olympic 10,000m silver medallist, has been in stellar form, setting multiple national records this season, including a 14:23.15 over 5000m. From the United States, Josette Andrews makes her World Championships debut after clocking 14:25.37 in Rome, while US champion Shelby Houlihan will be eager to make her mark.
Australia’s Rose Davies, Spain’s Marta Garcia, and Britain’s rising star Innes FitzGerald, already a double European U20 champion, add further intrigue to an already stacked field.
The women’s 5000m in Tokyo promises to be one of the defining races of the Championships, an epic battle of speed, endurance, and pride on the world stage.
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