Tokyo, Japan – September 21, 2025, 10:15 PM (EAT) – Kenya ended the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in style, placing second overall on the medal table. The team secured 11 medals — 7 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze — the best performance in the nation’s history.

Kenyan women swept every title from the 800m to the marathon, breaking three championship records and defending three crowns from the 2023 Budapest edition.

Beatrice Chebet repeated her Olympic triumph, winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals.

Faith Kipyegon defended her 1500m crown — her fourth global gold and third in a row — while adding silver in the 5,000m. Earlier this year, she also headlined Kenya’s strong showing at the Paris 2024 Olympics reported by Sauce.co.ke.

Faith Cherotich reclaimed the 3,000m steeplechase gold with a championship record, as reported by Reuters.

Peres Jepchirchir returned Kenya to the top of the marathon for the first time since Ruth Chepng’etich in 2019. In another highlight, Lilian Odira stunned fans by winning the women’s 800m and smashing the longest-standing championship record since 1983.

Emmanuel Wanyonyi was the only Kenyan man to win gold, storming to victory in the men’s 800m with a new championship record. His victory echoes his heroics at the Paris Olympics, where he was one of Kenya’s brightest stars.

Rising talent Dorcus Ewoi bagged silver in the women’s 1500m on her global debut. Edmund Serem claimed bronze in the men’s steeplechase, while Reynold Cheruiyot secured bronze in the men’s 1500m.

Kenya’s 11 medals (7 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) mark the best-ever tally at a World Athletics Championships, surpassing the 2015 performance in China, where the nation won 5 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze.

The United States retained the overall crown with 26 medals (16 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze). Canada ranked third, followed by the Netherlands, while Botswana, New Zealand, and Spain tied further down the standings.

This record-breaking performance confirms Kenya’s dominance in middle- and long-distance running while highlighting new stars ready to carry the torch.The next World Athletics Championships will be held in Beijing in 2027, where Kenya will aim to build on this historic momentum.