World runner-up in the 5,000 m in Eugene in 2022, Beatrice Chebet wants to finish on the top step of the podium in Budapest. And the 23-year-old Kenyan is well on the way to achieving this.
Beatrice Chebet is aiming for gold at the world athletics championships. The Kenyan finished second in Eugene in the 5,000m. "I'll be happy if I get on the podium this year in Budapest, even though my main goal - which I know should be the same for all the runners taking part in the world championships - is the gold medal. However, I'll be grateful for any medal I get there", the African champion tells World Athletics.
Thanks to her Diamond League title, Chebet has qualified directly for the World Championships. Her only concern now is to be spared injury. "I hope I'll have another good year, like last year," she adds.
2018, a pivotal year
Chebet first came to public attention at the U20 World Championships in 2018. She won gold in the 5,000m. It was one of the greatest victories of her career, she confides. Of all the medals and titles I have won, the one I cherish most is the U20 world gold medal I won at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere in 2018," exclaimed Chebet. This success ended a 10-year reign of Ethiopian athletes. It was my first big win, so I won't forget it."
Last February, at the World Cross Championships in Australia, she also won gold. This bodes well for the forthcoming World Athletics Championships, scheduled for 19-27 August in the Hungarian capital. However, the competition will be tough for the 23-year-old athlete. In Budapest, Chebet is likely to meet up with her rivals in the final of the 5,000m. The reigning world champion, Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay, will surely be keen to retain her crown. Another Ethiopian athlete, Letesenbet Gidey, who holds the world record for this distance, will also be trying to win her first world title over this distance.
