 Chepkoech at the2019 World Athletics Championships inDoha | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Beatrice Chepkoech Sitonik |
| Born | (1991-07-06)6 July 1991 (age 34) Kimulot,Bomet County, Kenya |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 54 kg (119 lb)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country | Kenya |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | 3000 metres steeplechase;Middle-,Long-distance running |
| Coached by | Bram Som, Peter Mwai Ndichu |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbests | 3000 m st.: 8:44.32WR (Monaco 2018) |
Medal record | |
Beatrice Chepkoech Sitonik (born 6 July 1991)[2] is a Kenyanlong-distance runner who specialises in the3000 metres steeplechase. She won gold medals at the2019 World Championships and2018 African Championships and silver medal at the2023 World Championships. In the1500 metres, Chepkoech took silver at the2018 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the2015 African Games. She is theworld record holder for the 3000 m steeplechase with a time of 8:44.32 set in 2018 inMonaco. With that mark she became the first woman to break the 8:50 and 8:45 barriers in the event.
Chepkoech is a two-time 3000 m steeplechaseDiamond League champion and won two Kenyan national titles.
Beatrice Chepkoech began her career inroad running, taking top three placings at several low-key races in Germany and Netherlands in 2014.[3] She switched totrack running in 2015 and set a1500 metres personal best of 4:03.28 to win the race at theKBC Night of Athletics. This time placed her just outside the top twenty athletes for the season and she was the fifth-fastest Kenyan.[4] A bronze medal in the event followed at the2015 African Games.[5]
Chepkoech ended her 2015 season with a run in the2000 metres steeplechase at theISTAF Berlin, finishing a close second in a quality field and beating 2015 world bronze steeplechase medallistGesa Felicitas Krause.[6] This prompted her to try the full 3000 m Olympic event. She made a successful transition and the steeplechase her main focus in 2016. On theDiamond League circuit she ran 9:17.41 for fourth at thePrefontaine Classic inEugene before taking second at theBAUHAUS-galan inStockholm. Chepkoech ranked fifth in the world upon entry to the2016 Rio Olympics, where she finished fourth with a time of 9:16.05.[7][2] She set a new personal best of 9:10.86 inParis later that month.[2]
In 2017, Chepkoech won her firstDiamond League race, taking 3000 m steeplechase victory in Paris with a time of 9:01.69.[2] At theLondon World Championships in August, she missed a water jump and had to run back in the final, finishing a disappointing fourth in 9:10.45.[6] At the end of August, she broke for the first time the nine-minute barrier, clocking 8:59.84 for second inZürich circuit final.[2]
She finished second in the 1500 m at the2018 Commonwealth Games held inGold Coast, Australia.[2] On 20 July that year, the 27-year-old obliterated the women's 3000 m steeplechase world record by more than eight seconds with a time of 8:44.32 at theMonaco Herculis meeting (highlightsVideo onYouTube). She beat the mark of 8:52.78 set by Kenyan-born-BahrainiRuth Jebet in 2016.[8] Chepkoech then claimed the gold medal in the event at theAfrican Championships the following month, setting a championship record of 8:59.88 in the process. She earned her firstDiamond League title in her specialist event that year, securing three victories out of the five events, including final inBrussels.[2]
In 2019, she competed in thesenior women's race at theWorld Cross Country Championships held in March inAarhus, Denmark, finishing in seventh place.[9] In September, the 28-year-old triumphed in the 3000 m steeplechase at theDoha World Championships in Qatar with a time of 8:57.84, breaking the championship record in the process. Chepkoech won her second steeplechaseDiamond Trophy that year, winning four of the five events, including final in Zürich.[2]
In February 2021, she broke the5 km road world record in a time of 14 minutes 43 seconds at the Monaco Run. The previous world record in a mixed gender race was set byCaroline Chepkoech Kipkirui in 2018 with 14:48. Chepkoech's time bettered alsoSifan Hassan's women only record of 14:44 set in 2019.[10][11] Chepkoech placed seventh in her signature event with a time of 9:16.33 at the postponed2020 Tokyo Olympics in August.[2]
She was forced to withdraw from the2022 World Championship held inEugene, Oregon in July due to an injury.[12]
All information fromWorld Athletics profile.[2]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | African Games | Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo | 3rd | 1500 m | 4:19.16 |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 4th | 3000 m s'chase | 9:16.05 |
| 2017 | World Cross Country Championships | Kampala, Uganda | 1st | Mixed relay | 22:22 |
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 4th | 3000 m s'chase | 9:10.45 | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championship | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 7th | 1500 m | 4:13.59 |
| Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:03.09 | |
| African Championships | Asaba, Nigeria | 1st | 3000 m s'chase | 8:59.88CR | |
| Continental Cup | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 1st | 3000 m s'chase | 9:07.92CR | |
| 2019 | World Cross Country Championships | Aarhus, Denmark | 7th | Senior race | 22:22 |
| 2nd | Senior team | 25 pts | |||
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 1st | 3000 m s'chase | 8:57.84CR | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | 3000 m s'chase | 9:16.33 |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 2nd | 3000 m s'chase | 8:58.98 |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 3rd | 3000 m | 8:22.68 |
| African Games | Accra, Ghana | 4th | 5000 m | 15:13.71 | |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 6th | 3000 m s'chase | 9:04.24 |
2018,2019
|
African Champions in women's3000 metres steeplechase | |
|---|---|
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