Chebet defeats Kipyegon in sprint finish for crown

Kenyan ran a brilliant final stretch to complete the 5,000m-10,000m double at Tokyo World C’ships

- HT Correspondent

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet outsprinted compatriot Faith Kipyegon in humid conditions to win the women’s 5,000 metres world title on Saturday, completing a 5,000-10,000m double in Tokyo to match her Olympic haul last year.

The world record holder's victory arrived in 14:54.36 minutes while Kipyegon, the 1,500m champion, had to settle for silver in 14:55.07. Italy's Nadia Battocletti, who won silver in the 10,000m behind Chebet, completed the top-three, clocking 14:55.42 minutes.

“Running with the likes of Faith and Nadia you just have to believe in yourself. Today was not an easy race,” Chebet said after the win.

“I came here without pressure and I knew I should not stress myself. If you lose or win, you need to believe in yourself and in being able to come back stronger. Going home with two gold medals makes me really happy. I've had an amazing season.”

Till three laps from the finish, it was a relatively slow race. Battocletti took over at the front two laps from home, Kipyegon tucking in on her shoulder and when the defending champion made her break early on the final lap, Chebet followed.

The 25-year-old Chebet then exploded off the bend and powered through the final straight to claim gold.

“I knew it was going to be a battle until the finish line and it was a great one,” said Kipyegon.