By Shire Abdi - Reporter
Oregon (Dawan Africa) – Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet made history on Saturday by becoming the first woman to run the 5000 meters in under 14 minutes, clocking an astonishing 13:58.06 at the Prefontaine Classic, a Diamond League meet held in the United States on Saturday.
The 25-year-old double Olympic champion broke the previous world record by 2.15 seconds, surpassing the 14:00 barrier that had never before been breached in women’s 5000-meter track competition.
Agnes Jebet Ngetich, also from Kenya, finished second with a time of 14:01.29, while Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, the former world record holder, placed third in 14:04.41.
Chebet, who also holds the world record in the 10,000 meters, now dominates both long-distance events. Her landmark performance comes just weeks before the World Athletics Championships begin in Tokyo this August.
Chebet’s feat adds to Kenya’s growing legacy in global athletics and signals her as the front-runner heading into the championship season.
