'I am capable of achieving a world record': Beatrice Chebet delivers another historic performance in Rome
June 6, 2025, Kenya's Beatrice Chebet in action during women's 5000m final.
What you need to know:
- Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet ran the second-fastest 5,000 metres in history at the Rome Diamond League.
- She won in a national and meet record time of 14:03.69, narrowly missing the world record by just 3.48 seconds.
- This phenomenal performance follows her recent triumph at the Rabat Diamond League, where she broke the national record for the 3000 metres and set new African, meet and Diamond League records.
A phenomenal double Olympic champion, Beatrice Chebet, has done it again.
Chebet, the Paris Olympics 10,000m and 5,000m gold medallist, ran the second fastest time in history in 5,000m when she won the Rome Diamond League in a National Record (NR) and Meet Record (MR) time on Friday night.
Chasing history
Pacesetter Margaret Ekidor made way for Chebet just before the sixth lap as she dropped the world 10,000m champion Tsegay Gudaf from Ethiopia to win in 14 minutes and 03.69 seconds.
Not only did Chebet break the NR of 14:05.20 held by triple Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon from her victory on June 9, 2023, at the Paris Diamond League, but also the MR of 14:12.59 held by Ethiopian Almaz Ayana from 2016.
June 6, 2025 Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates winning the women's 5000m final.
Chebet missed Gudaf’s World Record (WR) of 14:00.21 from the Prefontaine Classic on September 17, 2023, by 3.48 seconds.
Chebet beat Hailu Freweyni of Ethiopia to second place in personal best (PB) 14:19.33 while Italian Nadia Battocletti settled for third place in a NR time of 14:23.15. Gudaf was fifth in 14:24.86.
Interestingly, it’s Kipyegon, who had shattered the world record with victory in Paris before Gudaf erased it three months later at the Prefontaine Classic.
On May 25, Chebet blew away the decade-old 3,000m NR on her way to victory in the second fastest time in history at Rabat Diamond League.
Chebet exploded through the distance after pacesetter Winnie Nanyondo dropped after 1,000m to clock an explosive 8:11.56 seconds as she also set three new records in the process: the African Record, MR and Diamond League Record (DLR)
Chebet, who also holds the 10,000m WR, smashed Hellen Obiri’s NR of 8:20.68 set in Doha on May 9, 2015 and the AR of 8:19.52 from 2021 by Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye.
The 25-year-old also erased the DLR of 8:22.22 held by Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia set in 2015 by a massive 11 seconds as she missed the WR set by Chinese Wang Junxia on September 13, 1993.
“I was planning to run 14:15, but I felt like my body was moving and I decided to go,” said Chebet, adding that her good shape demands a WR.
“I am capable of the world record. So now I am going home and will prepare for it. Everything is possible,” explained Chebet, adding that the WR will go down if she gets someone who will push her up to 3000m.
Chebet said that she wanted to try and see how fast she could go in Rome, and she was impressed to run an MR and PB. “Soon, I am going to run under 14 minutes. I am glad to have also helped the others to achieve their personal bests and national records today,” said Chebet.
Other Kenyan stars
On the night, Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, settled for third place in 10.01 as a sub-10 seconds proved elusive. American Trayvon Bromell cracked a World Lead of 9.84 to win, followed by Emmanuel Eseme from Cameroon in 9.99.
The 2019 world 1,500m champion, Timothy Cheruiyot, signed his return to finish second in men’s 1,500m in SB 3:29.75, losing the close battle to Frenchman Azeddine Habz in 2:29.72.
It was heartbreak for Kenya’s Susan Ejore, who led at the bell and midway the home straight as she sank to a distant fifth in women’s 1,500m in SB 3:59.73.
It’s Irish Sarah Healy, who won in a thrilling finish in 3:59.17, followed by Australians Sarah Billings (3:59.24) and Abbey Caldwell (3:59.32), all in career best.