Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet continued her remarkable run of form by storming to the second-fastest women’s 5000m in history at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, the fifth Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season, in Rome on Friday (6).
Less than two weeks on from a performance in Rabat that moved her to second on the world 3000m all-time list, the 25-year-old repeated the feat over 5000m – running a national record of 14:03.69 to miss the world record by just three seconds.
Only Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, with her world record of 14:00.21 set in Eugene in 2023, has ever gone faster. Chebet – who was previously No.3 all time with the 14:05.92 she ran to finish runner-up to Tsegay in that race in Eugene, has jumped ahead of her compatriot Faith Kipyegon, the former world record-holder (14:05.20), with this latest performance.
Chebet won the race by more than 15 seconds. Two-time world indoor champion Freweyni Hailu finished second in a PB of 14:19.33 and Nadia Battocletti delighted the home crowd with an Italian record of 14:23.15 for third place. Birke Haylom was fourth in 14:24.20 and Tsegay finished fifth on this occasion, clocking 14:24.86.
“I just said: ‘Let’s run my own race today.’ I was planning to run 14:15, but I felt like my body was moving and I decided to go,” said Chebet, the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion who already has two world records on her CV, in the 10,000m and road 5km.
“I see that my body is in good shape, and I am capable of the world record, so now I am going home and will prepare for it. Everything is possible – if I get someone who will push me up to 3000m, it is possible.”
Chebet followed closely as the pacemakers ran right on the planned meeting record (14:12.59) pace – reaching 1000m in 2:50.06 and 2000m in 5:41.45. She led a breakaway group of five at 3000m – passed in 8:32.20 – and was well in control.
She kicked with four laps to go and picked up the pace – running 2:46 for the fourth kilometre and 2:44 for the fifth.
“Today, I wanted to try and see how fast I can go when I push a lot,” she added. “Soon, I am going for a time under 14 (minutes).
“I can say I also helped the others to achieve their personal bests and national records today. It helped a lot. I have to congratulate the others as well, because without them, it would not be possible to run that race.”
It was a race of record depth, with the top 14 all finishing under 14:50.
Timothy Cheruiyot Diamond League performance
The men’s 1500m also featured great depth, with Azeddine Habz and Timothy Cheruiyot leading the way to push each other to the two fastest 1500m times in the world so far this season.
Kenya’s Cheruiyot, the 2019 world champion, was narrowly ahead as they hit the home straight, but France’s Habz launched an attack and saved just enough for a final surge to deny Cheruiyot by just 0.03 – 3:29.72 to 3:29.75.
There were lifetime best performances all the way down the field, Morocco’s Anass Essayi finishing third in a big PB of 3:30.74, and Germany’s Robert Farken and Sweden’s Samuel Pihlstrom setting respective national records of 3:30.80 and 3:30.87 in fourth and fifth. All 16 members of the field finished inside 3:33.
