 |
| Gutsy Beatrice Chebet celebrates her victory |
Gutsy Beatrice Chebet Friday night blazed down the field to become the first Kenyan woman ever to win 10,000m Olympics gold and first ever Kenyan to win an Olympics double.
Chebet had equally destroyed the field in the women’s 5,000m to take the honours.
And on this particular night, at a sold-out Stade de France, the 24-year-old delivered a textbook performance timing 30:43.25 to out-kick hard-charging Italy’s Nadia Battocletti who clocked a national record of 30:43.35 for silver with reigning champion Sifan Hassan settling for bronze.Other Kenya representatives Margret Chelimo and Lilian Kasait, who kept Chebet company throughout the race seemingly as a show of solidarity, faded off to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
Chebet’s heroics increased Kenya’s medal tally to six, and among them now are two gold medals from the Olympics debutant who out-paced compatriot Faith Kipyegon en route to clinching gold in 5,000m on Tuesday.
On this night, the weight of expectation back home in Kenya was palpable, it was heavy, but she shouldered it bravely, perhaps to signal her arrival on the grandest stage, and to earn rave reviews from adoring fans and pundits alike.
Kenya had not clinched the 24-lap race title and only came close in 2012 and 2016 Games when Sally Kipyegon and Vivian Cheruiyot claimed silver respectively, but the ambitious Chebet, born on the slopes of Kericho, has now changed that.
By Stanley Mativo