Kenya Shines in Tokyo, Second Only to the U.S. in World Athletics Medal Table

TOKYO, Japan (TAV) — Kenya finished second at the 2025 World Athletics Championships with 11 medals, sweeping every women’s middle- and long-distance title from the 800m to the marathon, including the steeplechase, even as the men faltered.

Kenya’s tally of seven golds, two silvers and two bronzes placed it behind the United States, which topped the standings with 16 golds and 26 medals overall.

Kenyan Gold Medalists

• Beatrice Chebet – Gold in 5000m and 10,000m (2 gold medals)
• Faith Kipyegon – Gold in 1500m
• Lilian Odira – Gold in 800m, with a championship record
• Faith Cherotich – Gold in 3000m steeplechase, with a championship record
• Emmanuel Wanyonyi – Gold in men’s 800m, with a championship record
• Peres Jepchirchir – Gold in women’s marathon

Silver:

• Faith Kipyegon — Women’s 5000m
• Dorcus Ewoi — Women’s 1500m

Bronze:

• Reynold Cheruiyot — Men’s 1500m
• Edmund Serem — Men’s 3000m Steeplechase

Kenyan Women Lead the Medals Charge

Beatrice Chebet was the star of the championships, winning gold in both the 5000m and 10,000m. Her double added to an extraordinary résumé that already includes Olympic titles, world records, and cross-country crowns, cementing her status as the queen of distance running. In the 5000m race, Chebet beat her best friend Faith Kipyegon, granting Kenya a gold and silver medals in the competition. 

Kipyegon, the reigning queen of the 1500m, earned her fourth world title in the event and added a silver medal in the 5000m. 

“Heading into the World Champs without having run a 5000m this year, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m incredibly grateful to be going home with my second medal of the championships!” Kipyegon reflected on a Facebook page. 

Peres Jepchirchir delivered another golden moment for Kenya by winning the women’s marathon in a dramatic sprint finish. The Olympic champion surged past Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa in the final stretch, taking gold in 2:24:43, just two seconds ahead of her rival.

Other Kenyan golds came from Lilian Odira in the 800m and Faith Cherotich in the 3000m steeplechase, both setting championship records. Emmanuel Wanyonyi captured the sole Kenyan men’s gold medal in the 800m race, also in record time. 

Kenyan Men Falter

The men’s performances were more subdued. Long a force in distance running and the marathon, Kenya’s men won only one gold in Tokyo through Wanyonyi. The men’s marathon crown, once almost synonymous with Kenya, went instead to Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu, who edged Germany’s Amanal Petros by just 0.03 seconds in a breathtaking photo finish.

Kenya’s women swept the distance events, the 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and marathon, underlining their unmatched strength. But the men’s decline left questions about the depth of Kenya’s future in traditionally dominant races.

Still, with Chebet’s historic double, Kipyegon’s enduring brilliance, and Jepchirchir’s marathon mastery, Kenya’s women ensured the nation remained at the heart of world athlete.

Other African Medalists

Botswana

Gold:

• Busang Collen Kebinatshipi — Men’s 400m
• Botswana Men’s 4×400m Relay (Kebinatshipi, Eppie, Ndori, Leungo Scotch)

Bronze:

• Bayapo Ndori — Men’s 400m

Tanzania

Gold:

• Alphonce Felix Simbu — Men’s Marathon

Algeria

Silver:

• Djamel Sedjati — Men’s 800m

Ethiopia

Silver:

• Tigst Assefa — Women’s Marathon