Kenyan Chebet smashes womens 5,000 metres world record

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FILE PHOTO: Athletics - Diamond League - Rome - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - June 6, 2025 Kenyas Beatrice Chebet in action during womens 5000m final REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

Kenyas Beatrice Chebet smashed the womens 5,000 metres world record with a time of 13 minutes 58.06 seconds at the Eugene Diamond League meet on Saturday, eclipsing the previous record set at the same venue in 2023.

Olympic champion Chebet bettered the time set by Gudaf Tsegay by over two seconds, the Ethiopians 14:00.21 obliterated when the Kenyan left Tsegay for dead with 200 metres to go as she sprinted for the line.

Chebet looked in shock when she saw the time, adding to her world 10,000 metres record set in Eugene last year, but she had been threatening the record, running 14:03.69 in Rome last month.

Tsegay, along with Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich, kept pace with Chebet for almost the entire race, but had no answer when Chebet kicked for home, and Jebet Ngetich finished second in 14:01.29, the third fastest time ever.

The 50th Prefontaine Classic promised fireworks, although Swedens Mondo Duplantis failed in his bid to break his own world pole vault record for a 13th time.

Duplantis, who recorded his best jump of 6.28 metres in Stockholm in June, faced little competition, with nobody left at 5.90, and after clearing six metres he attempted 6.29 but was unsuccessful in all three attempts.

The womens 100m hurdles featured world record holder Tobi Amusan and Olympic champion Masai Russell, but