Chebet to launch Tokyo World Champs with Xiamen DL

World 10,000m record holder Beatrice Chebet has identified the Xiamen Diamond League on April 25 as the launchpad for her 2025 track season, setting the stage for her quest for a maiden World Championships title.
Xiamen will be the curtain raiser in the 14-leg Diamond League series before the finals set for Zurich, Switzerland, on August 27-28.
Chebet, who has already secured qualification for both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, is using the Chinese leg as a crucial stepping stone.
“I will start my track season with the Diamond League in Xiamen with a focus on the World Championships,” Chebet said.
Chebet booked her ticket to Tokyo in the 10,000m by obliterating the 30:20.0 entry mark with her 28:54.4 world record at the Kenya Olympic Trials at the Prefontaine Classic on 25 May. In the 5,000m, she comfortably met the 14:50.0 qualifying standard with her 14:09.52 triumph at the Zurich Diamond League on 5 September.
Despite holding entry marks in both events, the 24-year-old remains undecided on whether she will attempt the double in Tokyo, opting to wait for the national trials.
“I haven’t decided which event I’ll run. The key thing is I have qualified for both, but we must go through the trials first. The team selection process will determine if I double,” she explained.
The 10,000m trials are scheduled for 26-28 June, coinciding with the National Championships while the trials for the other events are set for 24-26 July.
Chebet is determined to claim her first world title, having bagged silver in Eugene 2022 and bronze in Budapest 2023, both in the 5,000m.
“I don’t have a World Championships gold yet and that is my biggest focus at the moment,” she affirmed. Chebet, who shattered the women’s 10,000m world record last year—becoming the first woman to break the 29-minute barrier—is keeping her ambitions for further record-breaking feats under wraps.
“At the moment, I haven’t planned anything, but records are there to be broken. I know everything comes at its time,” she said.
Chebet was pleased with the 2024 season while noting that she has kicked off 2025 with a bang.
“The 2024 season was good and I thank God for that; I can’t complain. I started the 2025 season on a high, breaking the 5k world record on New Year’s eve and I am now preparing for the World Championships,” she stated.
After smashing the 10,000 world record, Chebet capped off a historic 2024 season by completing a rare Olympic double in Paris, winning both the 5000m and 10,000m titles to become only the third woman in history to achieve the milestone.
Chebet then ushered the new year in style, smashing the women’s 5km world record with a 13:54 finish on 31 December—becoming the first woman to dip under 14 minutes in the road event. She began her 2025 season with an emphatic victory at the Elgoibar Cross Country in Spain clocking 25:49.
The track star credits her meteoric rise to discipline and relentless hard work: “I believe in myself and always work hard. Being a champion is not easy so self-discipline and hard work is the key.”