Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon completed a Kenyan one-two in the women's 5,000m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, where Kenya won seven golds to finish second in the medal table

🌐 Here's What Happened

Kenya's President William Ruto says the World Athletics Championship will be "coming home", with Nairobi set to make history after being selected as the first African city to host the event in 2029.

Ruto hailed the winning bid as a "victory for generations of athletes" who have made the nation "synonymous with excellence" on the track and road.

Nairobi beat London and Rome to the hosting rights, with Munich selected to stage the 2031 edition.

📌 Key Details

After missing out on the 2025 World Championships to Tokyo, a series of factors helped Kenya see off its European rivals this time around.

When World Athletics president Lord Coe announced the decision in Budapest on Tuesday, he described Kenya's bid as "compelling and emotional".

The East African nation is the second-most successful nation in the history of the World Championships with 72 gold medals, placing it behind the United States.

The vast majority of those glories, alongside 38 Olympic gold medals, have come in middle- and long-distance running.

Lord Coe said that athletics is "woven into the fabric" of the nation and that Kenyans have helped "shape the history" of the sport.

He name-checked several runners including two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge - who was involved in the lobbying for Kenya's bid - men's 800m world record holder David Rudisha and multiple world and Olympic medallist Faith Kipyegon.

📰 Source: BBC Africa