Why does Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi compete for Bahrain? Everything about the athlete who broke the women’s 3000m steeplechase Olympic record in Paris

By Anirudh

Modified Aug 10, 2024 07:17 GMT

Winfred Yavi broke the women’s 3,000m steeplechase Olympic record to take home the title at the 2024 Paris Games. In the final at Stade de France on Tuesday, August 6, the competition for podium places was so tight that for the first time in history, four women went sub-9 minutes in the same race.

Yavi's time of 8:52.76 saw her take the gold medal, followed by silver medalist Peruth Chemutai (8:53.34) and bronze medalist Faith Cherotich (8:55.15). France's Alice Finot, who finished fourth, recorded a time of 8:58.67, breaking the European record.

Yavi hails from Ukia in Makueni County, a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Through the naturalization route, she became eligible to compete for Bahrain in August 2016 and at the age of 15, decided to switch her allegiance. Naturalization legally gives citizenship to foreign athletes, allowing them compete for the national team in all international events, including the Olympics

According to "The Kenya Times", an individual associated with Bahrain's athletics team got in touch with the Kenyan-born athlete, and after discussions with her parents and coach, Yavi subsequently relocated to Bahrain.

After winning gold at the Summer Games, the 24-year-old explained that she wanted to represent Kenya and took part in the qualification trials, but was not selected on several occasions owing to the fierce competition. She said (via the aforementioned source):

“The reason why I didn’t get the chance to represent my country is that I used to go for the Kenyan team trials, and I didn’t qualify, so I just got this like the first priority. Getting Bahrain was my first priority, but I was ready to represent my country,” she told reporters.

“The competition was stiff; you know in Kenya we have a lot of athletes, and getting the chance to get into the Kenyan athletics team is hard. You can be part of the team, but you will find them selecting like two people only. If you are in position three or four, you are going to miss,” she added.

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“It was complicated” - Winfred Yavi on how her decision to represent Bahrain was received

Winfred Yavi at the 2024 Paris Olympics - Getty Images

Winfred Yavi did not enter the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final in Paris as the favorite. Defending champion Peruth Chemutai was backed to get her hands on the gold.

However, Yavi produced a stunning final kick and crossed the line her with arms outstretched in celebration. The relief on her face was not just about winning the Olympic crown, but also about vindication of her decision to switch from Kenya to Bahrain on the international level.

“I had worked hard and did thorough training, but I missed out. That is how I got the chance to represent Bahrain, and I took it. So, it came like a first priority,” she said.

“People questioned the move; some people were worried if I would live up to my dreams and deliver. It was complicated because everyone had something different to say. By that time, I wasn’t strong, and I was just starting to catch up with the training. I was still not a professional, but I was able to handle it,” she added.

Winfred Yavi is only the third athlete to win an Olympic gold for Bahrain and the second athlete behind Ruth Jebet (2016 Rio Olympics) to win the women’s 3,000m title at the Games.