Bahrain star Winfred Yavi has credited her team after completing an unprecedented hat-trick at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The 26-year-old became the first athlete to win gold in the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase, 5,000m and 10,000m at a single edition of the Games. That feat added another milestone to a career that already includes Olympic gold at Paris 2024 and a world title in Budapest in 2023.
Speaking to TDT, Yavi said the historic achievement was the product of careful preparation and teamwork.
“We prepared really well for these moments,” she said. “It was a real team effort and I’m extremely grateful to everyone who helped put me in this position. These victories are for the whole team.”
The biggest step into the unknown came in the 10,000m. Making her competitive debut over the distance, the Olympic champion claimed gold in 32 minutes 39.18 seconds.
She then defended her steeplechase crown for a second time with a Games record of 9:04.36 before victory in the 5,000m (15:10.18) completed the treble.
Those three titles accounted for a third of Bahrain’s nine athletics golds, with the kingdom finishing third in the sport’s medal table behind China and Japan.
“I have a lot of respect for every event, but the 10,000m was my debut at the distance, so there were a lot of unknowns,” Yavi said. “I’m really pleased that we were able to get the result we had worked for.”
For the Bahraini, making Games history carried significance beyond the medals.
“It’s really humbling,” she said. “It’s a privilege to set a benchmark that the next generation can aim to match or even surpass.”
The three victories took Yavi’s Asian Games tally to six gold medals. Her run began with steeplechase gold in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2018, before she retained the title and added 1,500m gold in Hangzhou, China, in 2022.
Her contribution also formed part of Team Bahrain’s wider success in Aichi-Nagoya, where they finished 10th overall with 22 medals, including 11 gold.
After a campaign to remember, she is not looking too far ahead, sticking instead to a simple personal motto: “Keep moving.”
“My team and I approach things one season at a time,” she said. “We are very deliberate about setting our goals for each season and then putting in the work needed to achieve them.”
