Beatrice Chebet’s coach reveals secret behind her impeccable season
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 09.10.24. | 16:32
After narrowly missing out on the 5000m world title in Budapest last year, where she earned bronze after taking silver in Eugene in 2022, she sought redemption on the roads.
Beatrice Chebet’s coach, Peter Bii, has unveiled the secret behind his protégé’s impressive performance this season.
Chebet, a two-time World Athletics Cross Country champion, has been in exceptional form, winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics, setting a meet record at the Brussels Diamond League, and becoming the first woman in history to run under 29 minutes in the 10,000m.
According to Bii, competing in cross country worked wonders for Chebet. At the start of the season, she participated in a series of cross-country races before successfully defending her World Cross Country title in Belgrade.
She went on to break the 10,000m world record in Eugene, where she qualified for her first Olympics. After that performance, she set a personal goal: not just to compete but to target double gold in the long-distance events.
That goal was realized at the Paris Olympics, where she made history as the first Kenyan woman to win two gold medals at a single Olympic Games. She secured victories in both the 5000m (14:28.56) and 10,000m (30:43.25) events, solidifying her status as one of the greatest.
Chebet became only the second Kenyan woman to win the 5000m, following Vivian Cheruiyot's triumph at the Rio 2016 Games.
“We did a lot of work during the cross-country build-up, and she (Chebet) faced a very strong Kenyan team. Defending her title proved to me that she had the potential to win an Olympic medal,” Bii remarked.
The coach also emphasized the importance of cross-country training for athletes, especially in building endurance.
“We focused heavily on cross-country, which is crucial. I encourage all athletes, especially middle- and long-distance runners, not to skip the cross-country season. That’s where the hard work is done,” Bii explained.
The 24-year-old Chebet was inspired by her grandmother, Pauline Lang’at, to pursue running, and she has since set incredibly high standards, nearly completing her ambitious goals in just over two years.
Despite winning three gold medals at the World Cross Country Championships—her first as a junior in the U20 race and later defending her senior title in Belgrade earlier this year—Chebet has always preferred to stay out of the spotlight.
After narrowly missing out on the 5000m world title in Budapest last year, where she earned bronze after taking silver in Eugene in 2022, she sought redemption on the roads.
Her efforts were rewarded when she won the women’s 5km title at the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga last year.
Chebet’s determination paid off further when she set a new women’s 5km world record of 14:13 in Barcelona on the final day of 2023.
All these achievements continue to fuel her ambition to make history.
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