The championships will be held in Tokyo from September 13th to 21st, 2025 with more than 2000 athletes from some 200 countries expected to take part in one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
The National Stadium, rebuilt for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and 2020 Summer Paralympic Games will be used for the championship and this will be the third time that the championships will be held in Japan, following the 2007 event in Osaka, and the 1991 event in Tokyo at the former National Stadium.
Chebet, who clinched the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 5,000m and 10,000m races, becoming the third woman in history to win both events at the same Olympic games, has explained her desire to add the World Championships gold to her career.
At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Chebet claimed a silver medal in the 5,000 metres, with a time of 14:46.75 behind Gudaf Tsegay in 14:46.29 and ahead of Dawit Seyaum (14:47.36).
In 2023, Chebet took part in the World Championships held in Budapest, Hungary, where she managed bronze. Now Chebet believes the time has come for her to win a gold medal in the championships.
Chebet’s main target is to win gold in Tokyo
“I have started my season on a good note, I started the 2025 season with cross country in Sevilla, so far I believe the season has been great and my main focus now is to have a good healthy, free of injuries towards the World Championship, I pray to God to stay fit,” Chebet told Flashscore.
“My focus now is on the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, and my main target is to win gold medal, because I have never won a gold medal at World Championships, I only have silver and bronze, so my target is to add gold to the list and if I succeed, it will help grow my profile and my career.”
Chebet added: “Everything is possible, when I went to Paris, I didn’t know I will go there and win two gold medals, apart from that I didn’t know I will be able to break a world record 5,000m, running sub 13 and running sub 29 10,000m
“So far what I know I have motivated many athletes especially ladies athletes and good thing for me is to make sure I become a good role model, I follow the right channels as far as athletics is concerned.
“Avoid using drugs, run without using drugs in a good way and generally have great discipline because it will make you have a good picture towards the upcoming athletes, at least they can also have a good career in athletics.”
Chebet refuses to commit to breaking world record
Chebet, who is the current world record holder in both the women's only and mixed 5 kilometre run, in addition to the 10,000 metres, refused to commit on whether she will be able to break a world record this year.
“For now I can’t say anything but everything is possible, in athletics you may predict and say I want to try and break records, like I tried in Zurich but it didn’t work out but again you can break a record without setting your mind that you want to do it, so the only focus is to work hard in training and if the body adjusts well, then it is possible.”
Chebet, who at primary school, raced in 5,000m events, and went on to attend Saramek Secondary School, Londiani, added: “Athletics standards are now very different from the previous seasons, the standards set are very high, so what I can only say is to work hard in training and everything will be okay during races.
“For now I can’t say anything (if I can break the record), because even the programme of my coach or manager will dictate what I get, we have to plan and for now the focus is on World Championship, the rest, like breaking records, will come later.”
Chebet further called on the Kenyan government to continue supporting athletes by saying: “Government should continue supporting athletes, like they have been doing before, giving athletes facilities for training, making sure that athletes are in a good condition, it is very important to keep contact with athletes because it motivates them.
“Our stadium in Kericho, where I come from, is not in a good condition, so the government should do something, in a way to appreciate what the athletes, especially from the County are doing.
“Government should show us love, show they appreciate us for the work we are doing, we want the stadium to use it for training, and that is what we athletes from the region want from the government.”
In June 2018, at the age of 18, Chebet won the Kenyan Under-20s 5,000 metres. A month later at Tampere 2018, she became the first Kenyan woman and the first non-Ethiopian since 2006 to win the 5000m title at the World U20 Championships in Athletics.
At the 2019 World Cross Country Championships, the top three athletes in the women’s U20 race – Chebet and the Ethiopian duo of Alemitu Tariku and Tsigie Gebreselama – were all awarded the time of 20:50 as they finished together. Tariku was initially announced as the winner, with Gebreselama awarded silver.
However, after the photo finish footage was reviewed, Chebet received the gold medal. Also in 2019, she won the Kenyan U20 National Cross Country Championships.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Chebet won an Olympic gold medal in the women's 5,000 metres, finishing with a time of 14:28.56, beating defending champion Sifan Hassan, reigning world champion Faith Kipyegon, and world record holder Gudaf Tsegay in a highly anticipated race.
Chebet stayed in the pack for much of the race, but as Kipyegon made a surge to the front, Chebet followed, out-kicking Kipyegon in the final hundred metres to become the Olympic Champion. Chebet also won Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres, finishing in a time of 30:43.25.
