Kenya’s anti-doping efforts took a serious hit in September 2024. In a statement, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) said that it faced the risk of being banned from international competitions due to budget cuts that have halted all testing. It was allocated only 20 million shillings ($155,000) to run day-to-day programs for the financial year starting in July 2024, far below the expected 288 million shillings ($2.2 million). The program was one of the victims of large-scale budget cuts imposed by the government after it was forced to scrap a tax bill.

“This move has grounded the agency, and we are not able to fulfil our obligations, hence risking non-compliance to the World Anti-Doping Code,” ADAK board chief Daniel Makdwallo had said. “I urge the national treasury to reconsider this funding gap and reinstate the budget for the agency in order to protect Kenyan athletes.” Now, it seems that an Olympic gold medalist is bearing the brunt of the country’s dwindling testing system.

Just months after Beatrice Chebet bagged double gold in Paris, the 5,000 and 10,000-meter Olympic champion also picked up her second consecutive 5,000m Diamond League title in September. Not to forget her 10,000m world record in Eugene in May. But now, she’s added more to the 2024 roster, cementing her status as the ultimate long-distance queen.

On December 31, the 24-year-old pulled off a feat that surely made her New Year happier than usual. The Kenyan demolished the 5000m women’s world record while competing at the Cursa dels Nassos road race in Barcelona. But the best part was the time she did it.

It ticked 13:54s on the timer when Beatrice Chebet stepped out of the finish line, which meant, she’d just etched history. With that, the two-time Olympic champion became the first woman in track and field history to run under the 14-minute barrier in a 5K race on any surface. Just astonishing! Isn’t it?

This meant Beatrice Chebet was now the speediest 5000m woman on the road since she was 19 seconds quicker than Agnes Ngetich’s January 2024 mark. Also, Chebet was the quickest on track, since her time was lower than the one run by Gudaf Tsegay in 2023. “I’m super happy as everything went according to plan. I felt capable of running under 14 minutes, and I managed to do so. Two races in Barcelona and two world records—can I ask for more?” Chebet said after the win.

For obvious reasons, her focus now is the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. “My focus for next year is to win gold medals over 5,000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo,” Chebet said. You’d think this is an achievement for which the world would step out and applaud her. Well, they certainly did. But a few track and field fans couldn’t help but raise their eyebrows over her mega achievement. Their concern was the suspected malpractice in this run, as they expressed that on social media.

Beatrice Chebet under the track and field fans’ radar

Taking to Redditt, a few track and field fans reacted to Beatrice Chebet’s 5K world record. One of them commented, “Extremely suspicious time, even considering the road 5k is a relatively new record. Increases like this should always be looked at with caution. Do some research on modern methods of doping and understand that it’s extremely easy to avoid detection, especially in countries with a underdeveloped anti-doping authority.“

Well, voids in Kenya’s strictness in anti-doping efforts is not new. In 2015, Kenyan athletic officials and media had warned that “a generation of athletes” risk exclusion if doping is not stopped, amid fears that the country faces similar threats as those of Russia. “A generation of athletes in all disciplines could be lost to the ban,” The Star newspaper had warned in its editorial.

In the same year, Kenyan athletic legend Kip Keino had warned that WADA might consider “recommending Kenya be banned from all competitions for four years including the 2016 Rio Olympics.” “They think Kenya is sweeping doping issues under the carpet,” Keino had said. Looking at the sorry state of affairs, one fan chimed in, “Innocent until proven guilty, unfortunately.”

Well, Beatrice Chebet has clearly shown the aptitude for running this fast. At the Zurich Diamond League, she ran a 14:09 time, which was the world lead for 2024. Yet she claimed she could have gone faster if not for the cold weather conditions. “I really wanted to run the world record, but I missed it, this is due to the weather. And the pacemaker was supposed to pace until 3000 m. But she dropped off earlier,” Beatrice had remarked.

One of them wrote, “Uhhh PEDs is what’s to doubt.”  Well, this time, things have clearly worked in her favor. “I’m super happy as everything went according to plan. I felt capable of running under 14 minutes, and I managed to do so,” she said. According to World Athletics Chebet was paced by Latvia’s Dmitrijs Sergonjins, who brought the two-time world cross-country champion through the 3K split in 8:24. However, it was the Kenyan who worked her magic in the last 2 kilometers, with 2:44 and 2:46 in each.

And in fact, many athletes have hovered near the 14s mark. Say Gudaf Tsegay who ran 14:00.21 in 2023. Also, Kenyan athlete Faith Kipyegon who touched 14:05.92 last year. Thus, another one of the fans wrote, “Please, Chebet has been top level for quite some time now and only 24 years of age.”

Well, Chebet has been a podium contender for a long, but the heights she scaled this season were exceptional. In March, she won her second world cross-country title in Belgrade, Serbia. And then she became the first woman ever to break the 29-minute barrier in a 10000m run. This is why the track and field fan thought she deserved nothing but a pat on her back!

In fact, another one couldn’t believe that her name was on the World Athletics Athlete of the Year nominations list. “The fact that she was not, at the very least, a finalist in the world athlete of the year list after the year she has had is plain absurd.” Well, with two world records and two Olympic golds in Paris, Beatrice Chebet’s season has been identical to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s, solely in terms of number of achievements.

In fact, Chebet lifted the Diamond League title too, while McLaughlin-Levrone just aced the Brussels invitational run. By this means, she was an equally deserving candidate to at least make the nominations list, if not win it. But sadly, this wasn’t the case. And clearly, the track and field fans are upset about it. However, do you think Beatrice’s record is questionable or historic? Let us know below!