Paris (AFP) – Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won Olympic women’s 10,000m gold in Paris on Friday, adding to her 5,000m crown to again scupper the hopes of defending champion Sifan Hassan.
The world record holder, making her Olympic debut, clocked a winning time of 30min 43.25sec at a packed Stade de France.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti claimed silver in a national record of 30:43.35, while Hassan took a second bronze of the Games after also bagging third place in the 5,000m.
Chebet shattered the world record in the 25-lap event earlier this season, running a startling 28:54.14 in Eugene to become the first woman to break the 29-minute barrier.
Her victory in Paris leaves Hassan staring at Sunday’s marathon as her sole chance to depart France with a gold.
“To do the 5,000m and 10,000m is not something easy,” said Chebet, who added that her strategy was “just focus, and know that you can achieve. Just believe in yourself.
“I believed that I can do it. I just wanted to win the 10,000m for my country. My country has never won a gold medal (in the women’s 10,000m). So I said I wanted to be the first woman to win a gold medal in the 10,000m.”
