Kenyan who denounced citizenship wins gold medal for Bahrain

• Kenyan-born athlete Winfred Yavi stunned the world after winning the 3000m steeplechase for Bahrain
• Yavi outran world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech over the final 400 meters
• Yavi switched allegiance to Bahrain in 2016 when she was only 16 years old

Kenyan-born athlete Winfred Yavi stunned the world after winning the 3000m steeplechase for Bahrain at the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

Yavi outran world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech over the final 400 meters after trailing her for all but one circuit of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The 23-year-old won the race by finishing in the fourth-fastest time ever; 8 minutes, 54.29 seconds), while Chepkoech, 32, took second place with 8 minutes, 58.98 seconds.

She was so excited that she posted the fourth fastest time in history.

“Oh my God, I just found out this is the fourth fastest in history, I am really excited about that. It was a fast race but I did not realise it was that fast,” she said in a post-race interview.

She felt so much power on her feet in the last lap and she admits that she never felt this before in any of the races she participated in.

Winfred Yavi wins the 5000m steeplechase in Budapest, Hungary. Photo/RP ONline

Winning in Budapest in 2023 boosted her motivation in a great way and she intends to win several other gold medals moving forward.

“I knew I would have the power on the last lap. It was perfect. I have never felt like this before. After finishing fourth at the past two world championships, the gold medal gives me additional motivation to train hard,” she stated.

Yavi who was born in 2003 in Kenya dropped Kenyan citizenship for Bahraini in 2016. Pundits say that financial incentives by the Bahraini government top the list of her reasons to switch allegiance when she was only 16 years old.

Given this level of financial support, such a deal is irresistible for many especially since Kenya is a developing country.

Moreover, some of the world’s top training facilities, including a cutting-edge altitude training facility, are in Bahrain. For athletes trying to raise their game, this can be a huge advantage which Yavi identified early on.

Also, the competition in this oil-rich country is less compared to Kenya where it is very stiff and competing as Bahraini gives her a better chance to win.

In a personal best time of 9:00.69, Faith Cherotich, a 19-year-old Kenyan athlete won a bronze medal, becoming the first Kenyan teenager to stand on the world medal podium in the history of World Athletics Championship.

Winfred Yavi. Photo/YouTube

The world record held by Chepkoech is 8:44.32 established in 2018. She withdrew from the world championships in Eugene last year due to an injury after placing well behind in seventh place in the Tokyo Olympics.

Cherotich said that winning a bronze medal in Budapest sounded so good to her and it nearly felt like she had won a gold medal.

She said it was challenging just to make the Kenyan squad for Budapest, where she won bronze in her first world senior competition.

Cherotich was very surprised to learn that she was the first teenager to make it on the medal podium and it motivated her to get ready for the Olympics.