Kenya Takes Eleven Medals in Tokyo! (Seven Gold, two silver, two bronze)

Kenya Takes Eleven Medals in Tokyo! (Seven Gold, two silver, two bronze)

The Tokyo World Championships were held at the Japanese National Stadium from September 13 to 21, 2025, in warm and humid conditions. The exceptional performances were greeted by an impressive crowd, averaging 56-58,000 fans a night and 17-20,000 fans during the day. This was the first global sports event in Japan after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which did not allow fans into the Japan Olympic Stadium.

We are examining the federations sponsored by Nike (USA, Kenya, Canada, Germany, China, United Kingdom, and Uganda) and providing readers of RunBlogRun with an overview of those nine superb days and nights of track and field in Tokyo. NIKE sponsored the coverage of RunBlogRun in Tokyo 2025, USATF Outdoor 2025, and NIKE Pre Classic 2025. We are grateful for their support of the sport and RunBlogRun.

Here is the medal count of Kenya:

Emmanuel Wanyonyi took the gold in the World Championships, holding off Marco Arop of Canada and Djamel Sedjati, with all three under the mystical 1:42 mark for the 800 meters. Wanyoni, KEN ran 1:41.86, Sedjati (ALG) ran 1:41.90, and Marco Arop, CAN ran 1:41.95!

Lillian Odira, KEN, provided the fans with an incredible finish, taking gold in the women’s 800m from Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic champion at 800m, and Georgia Hunter-Bell, bronze medalist in the Olympic 1,500 m. Lillian ran 1:54.62 in the 800m, setting a championship record and breaking the 1983 record of Jarmila Kratovilova, CZE. Georgia Hunter-Bell took silver in 1:54.90, a new PB. Keely Hodgkinson, GBR, held on for bronze in her third final, fifth race of the year.

Beatrice Chebet, KEN, took the gold in the women’s 10,000m, finally pulling away with a furlong to go. Beatrice, WR holder at 10,000m and 5,000m, ran 30:37.61 in the hot and humid conditions, taking gold. In silver, Nadia Battocletti, ITA, who took silver in the Olympic 10,000m last year, ran an NR in 30:38.93. Gudaf Tsegay, former WC at 10,000m, iconic racer, from Ethiopia, took the bronze in 30:39.65.

Beatrice Chebet, KEN, on the very last day of the champs, added a second gold in the 5,000m, as she battled Faith Kipyegon, World Champion and Olympic champion extraordinaire at 1,500 meters, taking gold in 14:54.36. Faith Kipyegon, KEN, ran 14:55.07 for the silver, with Nadia Battocletti, ITA, taking bronze in 14:55.42!

Faith Kipyegon, KEN, took her fourth (2019, 2022, 2023, and 2025) 1,500-meter title in 3:52.15. Dorcus, Ewoi, KEN, took silver in 3:54.92 PB, and Jessica Hull, AUS, took the bronze in 3:55.16. Faith took off after a 63-second first lap, 2:06 at the 800m, and then the Kenyan star was gone!

Peres Chepchirchir, former WR holder, Women’s Marathon, and half marathon, outkicked Tigst Assefa, ETH on the track, with 100 meters to go! Tigst was five minutes faster than Peres’ PB, but Peres knows how to race! Peres Jepchirchir, KEN, took gold in 2:24.43, with Tigist Assefa, ETH, winning silver in 2:24.45. A big surprise was Julia Paternain, Uruguay, who took bronze in 2:27.23!

Faith Cherotich won gold in a contentious and exciting women’s steeplechase. Peruth Chemutai, a UGA gold medalist from Paris, fell in the race and did not recover. Winifred Yavi, Bahrain, defending champion, was outkicked by Faith Cherotich, 8:51.59 to 8:56.46. Sembo Almayew of ETH ran 8:58.86 for the bronze. This is Faith Cherotich’s first World Champs title!

Dorcus Ewoi took the silver in the 1,500 meters, following countrywoman Faith Kipyegon in the 1,500 meters. Dorcus ran a PB of 3:54.92, just holding off Australia’s Jess Hull!

Faith Kipyegon added silver to her gold from the 1,500m in the 5,000 meters, running 14:55.07. The finish was rather anti-climactic, but Beatrice has some serious speed!

Reynold Cheruiyot, KEN, took the bronze in a hotly contested Men’s 1,500 meters, in 3:34.25, with Timothy Cheruiyot, KEN, in fourth! Isaac Nader, POR, outkicked a revitalized Jake Wightman, GBR, 2022 World Champion, 3:34:10-3:34.12! Josh Kerr, injured around 800 meters, finished last and was unable to defend his title from Budapest. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, NOR, injured all spring, did not make the final. This was one of Kenya’s three medals in men’s events.

Edmund Serem, KEN, kept his wits about him, taking the bronze from several others in 8:34.56. Soufianne El Bakkali, MAR, who had won everything and was a bit, well, complacent, was run down and defeated by .07 by Kiwi Geordie Beamish, NZ, who had fallen in the heats and been injured most of the year. Going from 12th to the gold position, Beamish continues to impress. Serem took bronze, keeping a tenuous hold on the Men’s steeplechase, an event that had been owned by Kenya since 1972!

The big news for Kenya is the strength of their women; the sad news is that the men are not performing as well, with only three of the eleven medals in Tokyo.

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America’s first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: “I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself.” Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, ” I’m no Angel.”

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