Nairobi — Ten years into her track career, Women's 3000m Steeplechase World Record Holder Beatrice Chepkoech looks back at what has been a golden chance well utilized by the once little girl, who used to run to and fro school across the large tea plantations deep in the heart of Kericho County.
As the 33-year-old gears up to transition into road races, Chepkoech reminisces on her athletics journey which began in 2014.
-A steeplechase career which began by fluke-
Unknown to many, Chepkoech's career started by mere luck. It was in 2016 when a delay in the commencement of her season training led her into the waters and barriers race.
Chepkoech who then was specializing in the 1500m had been offered a slot to take part in an upcoming Diamond League event.
"I had not trained well enough for the shorter distance, so I opted to register for the 3000m Steeplechase race because I knew I was a multitalented athlete with the ability to compete in various races from the 400m hurdles to the steeplechase," she narrated.
To her management's surprise, she managed a time of 9:17 minutes in the competition which was a relatively impressive time for a first timer.
By this time, Chepkoech was already a signed-up NIKE athlete, having penned down her contract earlier in 2015 and her entry in the steeplechase arena, only further rubber-stamped her ability as a versatile world class athlete.
- 2018/19 season most successful track period-
2018 was a very successful year for the Kenyan athlete. Between May and September, she managed to bag the continental title, the Africa athletics championship title but most importantly, broke the women's 3000m steeplechase world record, setting a time of 8:44:32 in Monaco.
This world record is still standing six years later. Her superb form continued in the following season where she added another accolade into her collection after leading from gun to tape to win the 2019 World Athletics championships title in Doha.
-The injury era-
However, as an athlete, having an injury setback is inevitable and Chebet has also had her fair share of injury troubles.
Nagging calf and hamstring injuries saw her sit out of the 2021 and 2022 season.
"That period was the most tormenting time of my life. I failed to understand how I ended up suffering a stress fracture at a moment when I was in the best shape of my life. I was so good that I had now shifted to training with my male counterparts when my left leg started developing complications," explained Chepkoech.
The lanky athlete goes ahead to explain how the steeplechase is the most challenging and injury prone track race because of the constant contact with the barriers.
"Every movement in the steeplechase race is tactical and should be well thought out before executing. One has to master a safe way to not only clear the barriers but also land safely, so at one particular time in a steeplechaser's career one will definitely battle recurrent injuries."
The presence of a strong close-knit ecosystem of immediate family members came to her rescue, helping her fight a state of near depression during the two years she was out of competition.
-Impact of proper footwear-
Prior to her injury, Chepkoech had not quite internalized the importance of wearing the right kind of shoes while conducting various training sessions. However, in her two year's hiatus she learned to observe which shoe worked best for her.
"Most of my training back at home is conducted on marram terrain so I prefer the NIKE ZoomX Invisible while on track, I run in the comfort of my NIKE Air Zoom Victory spikes. I am now very cautious when settling on a shoe for each assignment."
-Back with a bang-
Chepkoech is known for always attacking from the front, a running style that has seen her bag quite a number of major races.
This is the very same tactic that she used to announce her return from injury when she bagged a silver in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary before proceeding to break the 2000m Steeplechase in her appearance in a World Athletics Continental tour meet in Zagreb, Croatia just a month later.
It was as in this very season that she also paced twice in an attempt to break the women's 5000m world record.
"In 2023, I had started regaining my form and although not at 100 percent, I offered to my management to assist in pacing for Ethiopia's Letesenbet Giday in our first attempt and Kenya's Faith Kipyegon in the second. It gives me so much joy when my fellow management athletes triumph in any target set for us. A win for any individual is a win for all of us," she added.
-Chepkoech, the Tea farmer -
But other than taking part in athletics, she is also a practicing commercial tea farmer in Kericho County, another region featuring in the Great Rift Valley, approximately 123 miles from the Nairobi Capital. It is also the home to the largest tea plantations in Kenya.
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Chepkoech recalls how tea farming had been her family's main income contributor long before she ventured into athletics.
Through this practice, her parents were able to offer her a decent education. So, during the school holidays, she joined in the harvesting of the cash crop which has predominantly covered their vast land deep in Kericho County. To date, when her schedule allows, she still visits the farm site to offer support.
-Transition to longer races-
Though Chepkoech did not medal in any of her Olympics appearances in Brazil 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, hers is a career that she's very much proud of.
After 10 years of action, eight of which she has been predominantly focusing on steeplechase, she is now setting her sights on longer distances moving forward.
"Mine has been a successful steeplechase career, I am proud of what I have achieved so far. As we get into the 2025 season, I am yet to make a public declaration whether or not to give steeplechase another chance in the World championships. What I am for certain however, is that in the near future, I will be making a transition to the longer races, mainly the 5000m and the 10,000m," she concluded.
