Kenya concluded the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a resounding second place on the medal table, reaffirming its status as one of the world’s athletics powerhouses.
While the United States led the haul with their customary dominance, Kenya’s performance stood out for its depth, versatility and clutch wins, particularly from its women’s squad.
At the close of nine intense days of competition, Kenya finished with seven golds, two silvers and two bronzes, giving them a total of 11 medals, second only to the USA. It was their best championship outcome in terms of golds, matching their 2015 Beijing performance.
Beatrice Chebet was among the standouts. She began her campaign with a gripping triumph in the women’s 10,000 metres, her first world title, as she outpaced Italy’s Nadia Battocletti with a powerful final lap.
The following day she again proved decisive, winning gold in the 5,000 metres in a tactical showdown against compatriot Faith Kipyegon and Battocletti.
Known for her closing speed, Chebet executed her sprint perfectly. “Running with the likes of Faith and Nadia you just have to believe in yourself,” she said. “Today was not an easy race … Going home with two gold medals makes me really happy. I’ve had an amazing season.”
Faith Kipyegon continued to deliver, adding a gold in the women’s 1,500 metres to her already stellar record. Faith Cherotich stunned many when she won gold in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, overtaking reigning champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain in a race that saw Kenya sweep six of its seven golds from the women’s events.
Male Kenyan athletes were not left out: Emmanuel Wanyonyi broke the championship record to win the men’s 800 metres, while Lilian Odira upset expectations in the women’s 800m final with a dramatic finish.
Odira, in only her first World Championships, produced what many described as a career-defining performance.
She surged past two British athletes who had been in the lead with under 30 metres to go, breaking a 42-year-old championship record with a time of 1:54.62. “This is my first world championships and I am really grateful to be leaving it as the world champion,” she said. “It has been a long time coming … I managed to have the most powerful finish.”
Despite the many golds, Kenya’s silvers and bronzes were relatively few, reflecting both how often they converted leads into wins and how narrow margins outside the top spot were. Their dominance was especially noticeable in distance and middle-distance events, with women’s distance events in particular delivering superb returns.
Kenya finishes second overall and best in Africa at World Athletics Championships behind USA with 11 medals; 7 gold, 2 silver & 2 bronze as the global event ends in Tokyo pic.twitter.com/hjpdcS6lZj
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) September 21, 2025
The USA, while leading in total medals and golds, could not prevent Kenya from putting pressure on many fronts. The medal table showed the USA with 16 golds and 26 total medals, while Kenya’s seven golds and 11 podiums placed them in secure second.
Nations like Canada, the Netherlands, Botswana, Spain and New Zealand also won multiple golds, but none matched Kenya’s consistency, particularly among women.