Bahrain end World Athletics Championships with two medals

Bahrain end World Athletics Championships with two medals

Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew wrapped up his campaign at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 yesterday, placing seventh in the men’s 5000 metres final. The 29-year-old clocked 13:00.55 in the closing race at the National Stadium.

The final, Bahrain’s last event of the competition, was among the most competitive of the championships. Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker of the US, who had failed to reach the 1500m final earlier in the week, rose like a phoenix in the 5000m to claim gold in 12:58.30, narrowly edging Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli (12:58.78). France’s Jimmy Gressier, fresh off his 10,000m win, secured bronze in 12:59.33. Remarkably, the top seven all dipped under the 13-minute mark, highlighting the race’s exceptional quality.

Balew entered with hopes of earning his first-ever world medal, buoyed by his personal and Asian record of 12:48.67 set earlier this year in Paris. He positioned himself well for much of the contest but was unable to stay with the furious closing pace over the final lap. Still, his performance reflected his place among the sport’s elite and capped a solid campaign in Tokyo.

Bahrain’s Medal Haul

The Tokyo meet concluded with Bahrain tallying two medals. Winfred Yavi captured silver in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, while Salwa Eid Naser added a bronze in the women’s 400m. With this tally, Bahrain finished as the top-performing Arab nation at the championships.

Balew’s race brought Bahrain’s participation to a close, as the curtain came down on an eventful week of world-class athletics in the Japanese capital.