Chebet, Battocletti, Tsegay’s stunning women’s 10,000m final in Tokyo

On the first day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet produced an incredible last 200m finishing kick to win her first world outdoor championships gold medal in her running career, and the first gold medal for Kenya at the ongoing Tokyo 25 world championships.

This was the only global gold medal the multiple Olympic and world cross country champion was missing in her medal cabinet.

Chebet dedicates her gold medal to her husband and family

“I have never won a gold at the world championships, so I was sure I had to get it. That was running in my mind during the race. This title means a lot to me, and I hope it will motivate young athletes out there. They are doing well, and I know I motivate them. I am so happy for myself. My family is my biggest motivation, especially my husband, who is also my coach,” she excitedly said after the race.

In a well-calculated race, the double Olympic champion made a superb decision to drop the pacing duties with about 3000m to go and concentrate on conserving her energy for the devastating finish. Her efforts with her teammate to whittle down the leading pack were proving futile as a quality field was still stuck behind them, and it would become risky to continue pacing.

While holding the 10,000m world record of 28:54.14 would have tempted her to keep going harder and hoping to break away, her recent 3:54.73 in the 1500m made her comfortable as well in the second plan of sitting and waiting for the final lap, which worked well for her.

“It was a tough, very tactical race, but I ran the last 800m really hard. Tsegay pushed a lot, and I had to keep going. I ran 1500m in Silesia, so my mind was like I was at the 1500m race. I had to push and follow, and motivate myself, but I wanted that gold medal so much,” Chebet revealed what was going through her mind and the quick decisions she had to make during the race. 

A new national record for Italy

Nadia Battocletti of Italy also benefitted from the fast finish, winning a rare silver medal for a “European girl,” as she would put it. 

“In the last lap, I realised I was a bit too far away from the leading athlete. I wanted to go faster over the last 300 metres. Unfortunately, I missed a moment for the gold, but I am proud. I have an amazing support system all around me. From my family, my boyfriend, my coach, my mental coach, my physio and my doctors. I am lucky that my family was here with me today,” she said.

Ethiopia’s Tsegay Gudaf was happy to take home a fifth world championship medal as she won the bronze medal.

“Coming here as a defending world champion was a huge responsibility and I did everything possible to defend my title. I had the race under the control at nine kilometres, but then I decided to push. It was not a tactical mistake. Physically I was ready for fast finish but the biggest challenge for me was the weather. Even though I have been training in hot conditions, I did not expect such high humidity. I tried my best but the other girls were a bit faster at the finish line. That is our sport. It”s amazing and unpredictable,” said Tsegay.

How the 10,000m race unfolded

From the start of the race, Chebet’s teammate, Agnes Ngetich, appeared to have wanted a fast pace as she immediately went to the front, but the rest of the field was not interested, and she had to slow down again to remain in touch with the field.

However, Japan’s Ririka Horonaka came to Ngetich’s rescue and took on the pacing duties. The first km was crossed at 3:47.70. It got a little faster as they crossed the 2000m mark at 6:14.04, and Hironaka was still taking the lead. Ngetich was happy to stick to the back of the Japanese runner.

When Chebet gradually moved towards the front, all the main protagonists reacted, and Ngetich increased the pace ahead and overtook Hironaka. The field suddenly became a single file and separated into what looked like two different races.

After a while, Ngetich motioned to Chebet to continue pacing as they approached midway through the race, and Chebet happily took the duty. The lead pack was reduced to six runners. 

Ngetich again came to the front after they had crossed the 5000m mark, and Chebet took her place. Gudaf Tsegay, Nadia Battocletti, and Ejgayehu Taye followed in that order as they crossed the 6000m mark.

At around the 7000m mark, the two leading Kenyans suddenly decided they were done with the pacing and wanted someone else to come to the front. None offered to do so, and the pace slowed considerably. Taye, who had lost some ground, closed the gap again, and it appeared that everyone in the leading pack was waiting to unleash their finishing kick at the end.

With 800m to go, Tsegay made the move. Chebet, Ngetich and Battocletti followed in that order. At around the last 200m, Chebet moved to the outside lane and increased the pace and it was only Battocletti who was in a position to hold on to the devastating speed. 

Chebet crossed the finish line in 30:37.61, while Battocletti came in second, setting a new Italian record of 30:38.23. Tsegay won the bronze medal in 30:39.65, with the Kenyan who had done much of the pacing in the second half, Ngetich, finishing fourth in 30:42.66.