Beatrice Chebet made athletics history on Saturday. The 25-year-old Kenyan broke the world record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:58.06. This makes her the first woman ever to run this distance in under fourteen minutes.
The world record in the 5,000 meters was held until two years ago by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay. In September 2023, she ran almost five seconds under Faith Kipyegon’s then world record, but remained just above fourteen minutes: 14:00.21.
Chebet broke Tsegay’s world record on Saturday evening during the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA. She clocked a historic 13:58.06 in the Diamond League race. This makes her the first woman ever to break the fourteen-minute barrier in the 5,000 meters.
Chebet also holds the world record in the 10,000 meters for women. In May 2024, she became the first woman to run under 29 minutes. She clocked 28:54.14, also in Eugene. This world record in the 10,000 meters was briefly held by Sifan Hassan in 2021, although only for two days.
2024 has been a successful year for Chebet anyway. At the Olympic Games in Paris, she won gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, while Hassan took bronze in both distances.