Flawless and untouchable! The dazzling excellence of Kenya's girls in Tokyo

At the just-concluded World Athletics games, held in Tokyo, Japan, Kenyan athletes dazzled in hypnotic speeds of wonder and mesmerising acceleration, leaving spectators awe-struck as they sprinted and darted, not just excitingly but compellingly, and with intriguing expenditure.

As other countries struggled to stage a show, Kenya unfurled a blockbuster, befuddling foes and rivals and lapping up medals in a profoundly robust streak of unrepentant excellence.

But the glory, at least this time, belongs to the women - and their formidable strength, zeal and aggressive pizzazz.

For the first time ever, Kenya became the first country in the history of the World Athletics Championships, and indeed global sports events, to win, in one edition, all the gold medals on offer in track races, from 800m to marathon.

This monumental feat was exclusively achieved by Kenyan women who, remarkably, won gold in 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, 10,000m, and marathon.

In all, the gallant Kenyan women won six gold medals and one silver as the nine-day 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships came to a climactic end yesterday at Japan National Stadium.

Peres Jepchirchir, 31, won Kenya's first gold medal of the championship in women's marathon on day one, then Beatrice Chebet clinched gold medals in women's 10,000m and 5,000m, while Faith Cherotich took home the 3,000m steeplechase title.

Fan-favourite Faith Kipyegon claimed gold in women's 1,500m while Lillian Odira clinched yet another gold in the women's 800m.

After it all, and massively due to the indefatigable spirit of the female athletes, Kenya ended the 2025 edition second on the medal standings only behind the United States of America after winning 11 medals as the Americans claimed 26.

Flawless and untouchable, our women glided through the tracks with a flamboyant sprint and a commanding presence, weaving past their competitors with unmatched ease and striking poise, sweaty but focused, leaving spectators in utter bewilderment.

As the stands hollered, thousands erupting in riotous shouts of ululation, our female athletes gallantly tore through the finish line, hands in the air, as they soaked in the glory and relished an opportunity to, once again, cement their dizzying legacies.

With blistering speed and irresistible panache, Faith Kipyegon led the way as her peers Faith Cherotich and Lillian Odira stormed in unison, winning their respective races with ridiculous ease, their svelte frames and huge strides helping produce the most exhilarating tricks of all time.

Packed with outrageous speed and ebullient conviction, Peres Jepchirchir worked her hamstrings, remaining steadfast in a gruelling marathon which saw her blast through the strenuous terrains and, with astonishing gravitas, clinch the women's marathon on the very first day.

Like an untouchable goddess, Beatrice Chebet also brought her strikingly remarkable excellence to Tokyo, clinching not one but two gold medals in the women's 10,000m and 5,000m, knocking down all competition and carrying the conviction of a woman ready to run into the stunned embrace of history.

Already a silver medallist from the 2022 World Championships and a bronze medallist from the 2023 World Championships, Chebet roared onto the track with a stubborn aspiration - to finally bring home the gilded medal and do it in the most riveting and fittingly stellar way imaginable. 

And unlike some of their more hubristic peers, who give colourful press interviews and dazzle the cameras with glittering flair, the Kenyan athletes soak up the glory in a more self-effacing mugshot - confident in their majesty but humble in their unbeatable elegance.

For nine days, Team Kenya displayed their sporting infallibility, bringing out dominant performances, enchanting prowess, enthralling stamina and an unbowed spirit intent on victory in all its bare viciousness.

Everyone, from President William Ruto to the average X user, jumped online to congratulate the women on their record-breaking medal haul.

President Ruto said, "You have conquered the global stage at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo; finishing second in the world and proudly claiming first in Africa!"

"You have flown our flag high, silenced every doubter, and shown the world that Kenya is not just a country of runners, but a nation of champions; a people who rise, conquer, and shine with unmatched excellence."

“‘I’m a Bentley,” Sha’Carri Richardson, American track sensation, once said. “Fast, expensive... fancy.”

Well, if Richardson considers herself a Bentley, with its hushed speed and subtle elegance, then the Kenyan girls are a Lamborghini; abrupt, turbo-charged and suavely nimble.