Double Olympic champion and women’s 10,000m world record holder Beatrice Chebet is set to light up the streets of Portugal on March 9, as she chases her second victory of the 2025 season at the Lisbon 10km road race.
The 24-year-old kicked off her 2025 campaign in style, dominating the Elgoibar Cross Country race in Spain, where she crossed the line in 25:49 ahead of Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu ( 26:31 ) and Burundi’s Francine Niyomukunzi ( 26:33 ).
With her sights firmly set on the Lisbon showdown, Chebet is leaving nothing to chance.
“My target is to keep on training as I have not scheduled any race until March 9, when I compete at the Lisbon 10K,” she said.
However, Chebet downplayed any ambitions of chasing the women’s 10km world record.
“That record is impressive, I’m not sure I can do that. I’ll just try to win the race,” she added.
Agnes Ng’etich is the current women’s world 10km road race record holder ( 28:46 ) set at the Valencia Ibercaja on January 14, 2024.
While her personal best over the distance remains 32:52—set back in 2019 at the Eldoret 10K, Chebet’s sensational performances over this past season suggest she’s more than capable of a record-breaking effort.
In May last year, Chebet made history at the Prefontaine Classic, obliterating the 10,000m world record with a blistering time of 28:54.14 to become the first woman in history to dip under the 29-minute barrier.
Her mark eclipsed the previous mark of 29:01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Latesenbet Gidey in 2021.
On December 31, 2024, Chebet went on another historic run in Barcelona, clocking 13:54 to shatter the previous mark of 14:13 held by Ngetich and became the first woman in history to run a sub14-minute race.
Reflecting on her Elgoibar triumph, Chebet admitted she was confident about retaining her title despite the challenging course.
“Honestly, I expected to win. The circuit is arguably one of the toughest I have ever run with plenty of ups and downs, but at the same time it’s perfect to build up for the championships,” she said.
“Last year, I won here and then became world champion in Belgrade,” she added.
On January 7, 2024, Chebet stormed to a 26:08 finish in Elgoibar ahead of compatriots Edinah Jebitok ( 26:10 ) and Grace Nawowuna ( 26:25 ).
She went on to secure her
second World Cross Country title in
Belgrade, Serbia, with a 31:05 finish
ahead of Lilian Kasait ( 31:08 ) and
Margaret Chelimo ( 31:09 ).
