Faith Kipyegon Reveals How She Plans to Upset Best Friend Beatrice Chebet at World Championships

Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet have become bosom buddies following their exploits on track, turning into great cheerleaders for each other in recent years.

They took it a notch higher at the Paris 2024 Olympics and at the Prefontaine Classic, Eugene Diamond League, early this month when they both broke world records in 5,000m (Chebet) and 1,500m (Kipyegon) and one acted as the motivator for the other.

However, the two women will put friendship aside at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo in September when they clash in the 5,000m race.

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Like Chebet, who will be going for the 10,000m and 5,000m double, Kipyegon is also looking to clinch two gold medals in Tokyo, being her specialty 1,500m and the 5,000m.

Kipyegon is the Olympics champion over the two races while Kipyegon is the world champion in both 1,500m and 5,000m and she will be looking to defend her titles in Tokyo, and she knows Chebet is a formidable opponent who she will have to contend with.

“It will be so interesting competing with her. I expect a very competitive race with Beatrice, there’s also Agnes (Jebet) and the rest,” Kipyegon told Telecomasia.net.

“We know each other well and we are all in very good shape. We are really close with Beatrice and that is why we always motivate each other. In Eugene I was cheering her up and she was also cheering me up.

“Even before the race we spoke and said let us go for it. Being together makes us stronger because apart from being athletes, we need each other outside and we push each other to get better. I can’t wait to compete with her in Tokyo in the 5,000m.”

Doing the double is not an easy act and Kipyegon knows she will have to improve every aspect of her game to be in optimum condition for the battle that lies ahead.

“It is now just about the right training with focus and getting my mind there. It is all about being self-aware and training well and on that day, whoever will be in the best of shape will win and we will celebrate each other. In sport you either win or lose,” she added.

Having raced each other twice in the 5,000m, each of the two have one win each, Kipyegon winning gold at the 2023 World Championships as Chebet won bronze but the latter upped the ante in 2024 at the Olympics to claim gold as the 1,500m world record holder settled for silver.

It remains to be seen how 2025 will go but Kenya will be the biggest beneficiary if either of them wins gold as that will significantly boost the country’s medal count.