Paris Olympics: Finally time for Beatrice Chepkoech to claim that elusive medal?

With a studded resume that also includes the fastest time in history over the 3000m steeplechase, Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech enters the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in dire need of a medal.

In her words, the 33-year-old just wants to see herself on the podium come the final on 6 August, when her wait for an Olympic medal will finally come to an end.

That’s perhaps not the first thing you think about Chepkoech, born on 6 July 1991 to Mary and Elijah Sitonik in Kimulot, Bomet County.

What you instead see is a long career - closing to a decade - that has made a name for once an athlete who was once a road-runner back in 2014, to a two-time World championships medalist going to her third Olympic Games.

Both World Championship medals, which fall into a long list of honors that also includes bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, 2017 World Cross country gold, African Games bronze, and silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, interestingly came after set-backs, and could add more fuel this year.

In 2019, Chepkoech took gold after missing a water jump in the 2017 edition - a situation that forced her to run back thus missing a place on the podium - while in 2023, took silver after withdrawing from the 2022 World Championship held in Eugene, Oregon in July due to an injury.

Chepkoech bags Kenya’s first medal at World Indoor Championship

One would hope that coming close in Budapest, plus the agonies of finishing fourth in Rio in 2016 and placing seventh in Tokyo three years ago, will give her the impetus of not only delivering a medal, but even winning Kenya’s first gold at the event for the first time ever!

“It is everybody’s dream to win an Olympic medal,” Chepkoech said in her buildup to the Summer Games this month. “I have missed the podium in my last two Olympic appearances, but I am optimistic on my third attempt. I will be more than happy if I secure a podium in Paris.”

Chepkoech landed her ticket on 14 June at the Team Kenya Olympic Trials held at Nyayo Stadium, where she eased her way to a second automatic spot in a time of 9:22.76.

Cherotich, Chepkoech bag steeplechase slots to Paris

On her way to claiming gold will be Bahraini Winfred Yavi - who she beat in May’s Prefontaine Classic before being outdone in July’s Paris Diamond League - defending Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai, 2022 World champion Norah Jeruto, and the youthful Faith Cherotich.

The women’s 3000m steeplechase heats start on Sunday 4 August.