Chebet hoping to carry fine form to Budapest

After claiming silver in her debut at the World Championships in Oregon last year, Beatrice Chebet will be eyeing another podium finish at this year’s event set to kick off on Saturday in Budapest, Hungary.

Chebet has had a largely successful season having already claimed the World Cross Country title in February to add to her burgeoning collection of titles.

The 23-year-old has also had a fantastic run in track dominating the Diamond League circuit with two wins and a second-place finish in the three meetings she has competed in.

“I thank God for keeping me healthy this season. It has been a very good season for me so far and as I head to Budapest I hope I will bag a medal,” Chebet told Citizen Digital.

Chebet, the 2018 world junior champion will be heading to the Worlds after a morale-boosting performance at the London Diamond League where she ran a new personal best of 14:12.92 over the 5000m race.

“I think I am in a good shape and my prayer is to maintain this form in Budapest,” she said.

With the entry of world record holder Faith Kipyegon, Kenya will have a deep field of four athletes in the 12-and-half lap race with Margaret Chelimo and Lilian Kasait also in the mix.

Chebet believes teamwork will be key for Kenyans to beat their Ethiopian rivals led by defending champion Gudaf Tsegay.

“Of course it won’t be easy. When you look at the entry list, everyone is a top athlete and that makes the event to be very competitive. I think if we can work as a team we stand a chance to win two medals or even sweep the podium,” she said.

The women’s 5000m heats will be held on August 23 with the finals slated for August 26, the penultimate day of the global event.