Congratulations are in order for Winfred Yavi, the Kenyan-born athlete who just clinched Bahrain’s third ever Olympic gold medal– and set a world record in the process.
The 24-year-old secured the women’s 3,000m steeplechase title on Tuesday, beating defending champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda in a sprint to the line in a new Olympic record of eight minutes, 52.76 seconds (8:52.76) before busting out some dance moves at the Stade de France.
Yavi became only the third athlete to win a gold for Bahrain at the Olympics. “This is like a dream come true. It’s something special,” the athlete said after the race. “It means a lot to me and also to the country.”
Originally from Kenya, Yavi switched allegiance to team Bahrain in 2016, after not qualifying for the Kenyan team. “I used to go to the Kenya team trials, and I didn’t qualify… It was my first priority; I was ready to represent my country,” the Bahraini national previously said.
“The competition was stiff. You know that in Kenya we have a lot of athletes, and to get that chance, you should at least enter the Kenyan team. You can get into the Kenyan team, but you find that they take only two people; if you are number two or number four, you miss out. I was totally ready, but I never got a chance.”
The athlete now holds both the World and Olympic titles in the event. Meanwhile, Kenya’s Faith Cherotich came in third, securing the bronze medal.
