WRRC: Chebet bags 5km title as Kenyans rule in Riga

World cross-country champion and 5000m bronze medalist in Budapest, Beatrice Chebet unleashed a lethal finishing kick to cross the line in 14:35 minutes and bag her second out-of-stadium title of the year at the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championship held on Sunday 1 October in Riga, Latvia. 

Chebet, who headed to the race as the third fastest athlete with a personal best (PB) time of 14:32 from winning last year's Diamond League title on the streets of Zurich stayed with the leading pack from gun to finish, only taking the lead in the final 200m to cut the tape in 14:35, just six seconds off the world record. 

Chebet led Lilian Kasait home for a Kenyan 1-2 finish as the latter clocked 14:39, a new PB, to deny Ethiopia's Ejgayehu Taye, the mixed-race world record holder who had led the race from start but finished third in 14:40.

Taye held on for third in a season best 14:40 with teammate Eisa Medina finishing fourth with a 14:41 PB. 

From the start, the field was quickly split into two with a leading pack of seven that had the two Kenyans, two Ethiopians Uganda's Joy Cheptoyek,who ended up running a new national record (14:50), USA's Weini Kelati and Italy's Nadia Battocletti completing the pack in the opening kilometre of the race. 

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Ethiopia's Taye took the lead in the second kilometre with Chebet and Kasait in toe as the aggressive attack on the course continued, hitting the 3km mark in 8.53 minutes. 

As the pace heated up, USA's Kelati dropped back leaving the six to battle for the world title. Three minutes later Cheptoyek was dropped as the pace was cranked up in the fourth kilometre and so was the Italian. 

The leading four negotiated the final turn with Taye still in the lead, Chebet and Kasait on her back as the youngster Medina was also dropped back a few strides. 

Kasait, who was clearly hurting worked her way to second place, beating Taye by a second as she finished four seconds behind Chebet.  

“I had to be confident,” Chebet told world athletics. “It was not easy, but the last time I ran the 5000m in Oregon (at the Wanda Diamond League Final, where she finished second), I saw I could deliver and today I delivered. It was just an amazing race, something amazing.”

Reflecting on her successful season, she added: “Winning the World Cross Country, then running 14:05 for 5000m on the track, the third fastest time in history, then today, winning the 5km, it makes me so happy.”