Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli Secures Silver in Tokyo
Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli won a surprising silver medal in the 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 21, 2025, reports 24brussels.
The 31-year-old athlete from Halle displayed a strong performance, leading into the final stretch before being overtaken by American Cole Hocker, who claimed the gold. Kimeli finished with a time of 12:58.78, comfortably ahead of France’s Jimmy Gressier, while defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen took 10th place.
Kimeli’s time, although two seconds shy of his personal best, marks a season’s best and represents his first medal at the World Championships, improving on his eighth-place finish at the previous Olympics.
In other news from the championships, compatriot John Heymans was eliminated in the semi-final round on Friday.
Additionally, the Belgian men’s and women’s 4x400m relay teams finished fourth in their respective races, with the men’s event won by Botswana, followed by the USA and South Africa. The USA triumphed in the women’s relay, finishing ahead of Jamaica and the Netherlands.
Jente Hauttekeete notched a 10th place in the decathlon, closing with a personal best in the 1,500m. High jumper Merel Maes also registered a 10th place with a height of 1.93 meters.
