Two-time World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet has explained why Team Kenya were too hot to handle at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade on Saturday.
Two-time World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet has credited Kenya’s success at the 2024 World Championships to team work among the selected athletes.
Kenya retained their team title after sweeping the top five senior women’s positions, winning both the men’s and women’s U20 as well as the mixed relay gold medals in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday.
Chebet, who effortlessly retained her senior women’s gold medal, feels such a dominant performance would not have been possible were it not for the camaraderie within Team Kenya’s camp.
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“We won the team title, that showed very strong teamwork,” said Chebet, as per World Athletics. “After trials, we trained together, we eat the same food. We were a team and being together helped us achieve the best result here.”
Chebet admits she was not sure of retaining her title but all went well thanks to the weather which wastge same as what she is accustomed to back home.
“It is not easy to come to a world championship and defend your title, there is a lot of pressure,” she added.
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“My target was to be on the podium. I felt I was stronger with about 500m to go. The course was so good, the weather was good like in Kenya, very sunny, and the obstacles were not as hard.”
Chebet won the race in 31:05 ahead of Lilian Kasait (31:08) and Margaret Chelimo (31:09) who ensured a Kenyan medal sweep with Emmaculate Anyango (31.24) and Agnes Ngetich (31.27) claiming fourth and fifth positions.
In the men’s U20, Samuel Kibathi claimed gold after finishing in 22.40 ahead of Ethiopia’s Mezgebu Sime 22:41 while Kenya’s Matthew Kipkoech (22.46) won bronze.
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In the women’s category, Marta Alemayo (19:28) pipped Ethiopian duo Asayech Ayichew (19.32) and Robe Dida (19.38) to win gold but the senior men’s crown evaded Kenya once more when Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo (28.09) retained his title ahead of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi (28.12) and Kenya’s Benson Kiplangat (28.13).
Kenya’s mixed relay team of Reynold Cheruiyot, Virginia Nyambura, Kyumbe Munguti and Purity Chepkirui also claimed gold, pipping Ethiopia and Great Britain and Northern Ireland to silver and bronze respectively.
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