World Athletics Championships 2025: Will Women Come to Kenya’s Rescue Again?

As Team Kenya finalises their preparations for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, the question remains on where their medals are likely to come from.

The 2025 edition of the global championships will take place from September 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan and Kenya has a team of 61 with hopes of improving on the 10 medals they won in Budapest, Hungary in 2023.

At the 2023 edition, Kenya won three gold medals, a similar number of silver and four bronze and unlike many other editions before, all the gold medals came from women.

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Faith Kipyegon won two, the 1,500m and 5,000m, while Mary Moraa clinched the 800m title and heading to Tokyo, there is a feeling that women could come to Kenya’s rescue yet again.

This is because female athletes have been the most consistent this season with a few of their male colleagues impressing.

Ahead of the 2025 World Championships, there is a hope that Kenyan women can clinch between four and five gold medals based on what has been witnessed so far in 2025.

Kipyegon, who is looking to make it four world titles in 1,500m, is favourite again to retain her title, and she is also the world champion over 5,000m, a crown she is looking to defend.

Kenya is blessed in the women’s 5,000m in that they have another strong contender in Beatrice Chebet, who has been untouchable over the distance since the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It therefore appears that if Kipyegon does not retain her 5,000m title, then it will be Chebet winning her first-ever world title over the distance.

Meanwhile, there is also hope that the women’s 10,000m gold medal will come to Kenya through Chebet, who clinched the double at the Paris Olympics.

Kenya last won the women’s 3,000m steeplechase gold in 2019 through world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and is it about to return home?

While Chepokoech has fizzled out of the scene due to injuries and poor form, Faith Cherotich has emerged and after bronze in Budapest and Paris, she looks to be ready for gold.

Still just 21, Cherotich has been sending the warning signs this year with impressive performances in the Diamond League, where she won three out of four series meetings, beating world and Olympics champion Winfred Yavi twice, before crowning it with a first-ever Diamond League Trophy at the season finale in Zurich.

That gives Kenyans hope that the women’s steeplechase gold is within reach this time around.

There is also hope for gold in the women’s marathon team that has former Olympics champion Peres Jepchirchir, Jackline Cherono, Magdaline Masai and Vivian Cheruiyot (reserve) as they bring a lot of experience that could prove pivotal in Tokyo.

While the women’s team is stacked with a number of favourites, the same cannot be said of the men’s side despite some standout performances.

At the moment, only Olympics 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi appears a nailed-on favourite for gold in Tokyo after Kenya lost its stranglehold of the race in Budapest, where the 21-year-old finished second to Canadian Marco Arop.

There is some hope in the men’s 1,500m that has youngster Phanuel Koech, who has been outstanding this season, as well as Reynold Cheruiyot and 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot who is headed to his sixth World Championships.

A big question mark remains on the men’s steeplechase team of Edmund Serem, Simon Koech and Abraham Kibiwot on whether they can stop Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali, who has won the last two world titles, and return the title that was a preserve of Kenyans until 2019.

It therefore appears like women will be flying Kenya’s flag in Tokyo although there are hopes of an increased medal count compared to Budapest two years ago.