Beatrice Chebet smashes 14-minute barrier for 5km
Twelve months to the day after running a world 5km record of 14:13 in Barcelona, Beatrice Chebet returned to the same Cursa Dels Nassos race in the Spanish city to improve the mark to 13:54.
What a year it's been for the 24-year-old from Kenya and many will think she has been hard done by in many of the athlete of 2024 awards, many of which were decided well before the year is complete.
In March she won the world cross-country title in Belgrade, successfully defending the crown she won in Bathurst in 2023. At the Pre Classic in the summer she then became the first woman to run a sub-29-minute time for 10,000m when she sliced seven seconds off Letesenbet Gidey's world record with 28:54.14.
At the Paris Olympics the diminutive runner out-sprinted Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan to the 5000m title and a few days later completed a golden double with 10,000m victory.
Diamond League glory followed in Brussels as she won the 5000m. Now, after a few months of more training, she seems to have moved on to yet another level with this 13:54 time for 5km.
🎆 Beatrice Chebet becomes the first woman to break 14:00 for 5km 🎇
The Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion from Kenya clocks 13:54 at the Cursa Dels Nassos race in Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/FQ7ohm9b8k
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) December 31, 2024
Her rivals on the track might be racing for minor medals in 2025 if she maintains this form. Or it might speed up their plans to move to the marathon, because Chebet has said this year that she has no immediate plans to tackle 26.2 miles.
"I'm super happy as everything went according to plan," she said. "I felt capable of running under 14 minutes and I managed to do so. Two races in Barcelona and two world records, can I ask for more?
"My focus for next year is to win gold medals over 5000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo."
Matthew Kipkoech won the men's race in Barcelona in 13:26.
At the BOclassic in Italy, meanwhile, Telahun Haile Bekele of Ethiopia won the men's 10km in a course record of 27:59 ahead of Yeman Crippa as Nadia Battocletti of Italy won the women's 5km in 15:31.
And Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia clocked 26:32 to pip Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda at the San Silvestre Vallecana 10km in Madrid as Marta García of Spain caused a major upset in the women's race to beat world marathon record-holder Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya by 13 seconds in 31:19.
This was Chepngetich's first race since her 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon.
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