Hellen Obiri will not compete at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September

(1143, 1, ‘2025-02-13 13:05:42’, ‘2025-02-13 13:05:42’, ‘Two-time world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri has announced that she will not be competing at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September. The 35-year-old Kenyan has revealed her reasons for doing so.

“You remember I fell twice in the race and winning bronze was such a relief. I knew I could have done better, but still, to be on the podium was a good achievement, knowing all the difficulties I went through during the race”, said Hellen Obiri about her performance at last year’s Paris Games.

Hellen Obiri won a bronze medal in the marathon at last year’s Paris 2024 Olympics.

“I won’t be going to Tokyo for the World Championships. Of course, I will have other races during the year, but the World Championships are not part of my plans “, said the Kenyan runner. “I have always represented my country with pride at major championships, but I think it ‘s good to give others a chance because we have a number of very good young athletes “, revealed she the reason for missing the planetary forum in the Japanese capital.

Hellen Obiri stands out as the sole female athlete to have secured world titles across indoor track, outdoor track, and cross country disciplines. She has earned silver medals in the 5,000m at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she also achieved a fourth-place finish in the 10,000m. Hellen Obiri is a two-time world champion, having claimed victory in the 5,000m in 2017 and again in 2019, during which she established a new championship record. Additionally, she earned a bronze medal in the 1,500m at the 2013 World Championships and a silver in the 10,000m in 2022. Her accolades include winning the 3,000m at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, securing silver in 2014, and finishing fourth in 2018. Furthermore, she is the reigning World Cross Country champion from 2019. In 2023, Hellen Obiri achieved victory in the Boston Marathon, marking her second marathon event. She ranks fifth on the all-time list for the half marathon.