Beatrice Chebet won a historic gold in the women's 10,000m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, achieving an Olympic double to make Kenyan history.
Beatrice Chebet achieved a remarkable Olympic double at the Paris 2024 Games, winning the women's 10,000m and making history as the first Kenyan woman to claim gold in the event.
Chebet, who had already secured the 5,000m title earlier in the week, crossed the finish line in a time of 30:43.25.
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Chebet repeated her heroics from the 5000m to win yet another gold medal in the 10,000m.
The 24-year-old athlete won the race after an intense final lap, surging ahead of Italy's Nadia Battocletti and Dutch runner Sifan Hassan.
"I’m so happy, to do the 5000m and 10,000m is not something easy," Chebet expressed, her face beaming with joy as per BBC.
"But just focus, and know that you can achieve, just believe in yourself. I believed that I could do it."
Her victory is not just a personal achievement but a historic moment for Kenya.
"I just wanted to win the 10,000m for my country. My country has never won a gold medal (in the women’s 10,000m). So I said I wanted to be the first woman to win a gold medal in the 10,000m," she added.
The race was a tactical affair with a relatively slow pace that belied the explosive finish.
Chebet, known for her fierce kick, took full advantage of the situation and as the pack picked up the pace in the final lap, she executed a flawless final turn to clinch the gold, leaving her competitors trailing.
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Nadia Battocletti of Italy secured the silver medal while Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was relegated to bronze.
"I have made history in Kenya," Chebet stated proudly after the race.
"No matter who comes after me, they'll always say Beatrice was the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in the 10,000m."
The significance of Chebet’s victory is magnified by the history of near misses Kenya has had in this event.
Previous silver medals by Selly Kipyego at the 2012 London Olympics and Vivian Cheruiyot at the 2016 Rio Olympics had been the closest Kenya came to the top podium spot in the women’s 10,000m.
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Kenya aims for three golds in athletics, with Kipchoge, Wanyonyi, and Kipyegon leading the charge on a packed Saturday.
Additionally, the broader context of the rivalry with Ethiopian runners, who have traditionally dominated the 10,000m, made Chebet's victory even sweeter for Kenyan fans.
Ethiopia's dominance has been challenged, and Chebet's dual gold medals have positioned Kenya atop Africa's medal table with just one day of competition remaining in Paris.