Kenya’s middle-distance dominance reached a new peak at the Prefontaine Classic on 5 July when Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet produced back-to-back world records at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Kipyegon, the three-time Olympic 1,500-metre champion, lowered her own global mark to 3 minutes 48.68 seconds, slicing 0.36 seconds off the standard she set in Paris last year. Australia’s Jessica Hull shadowed the early pace before Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji came through for second in 3:51.44, but neither could live with the Kenyan’s 59-second closing lap. Barely an hour earlier, Chebet became the first woman to break 14 minutes for 5,000 metres, clocking 13 minutes 58.06. The 25-year-old, already the Olympic champion at both 5,000 m and 10,000 m, surged clear over the final 200 metres to eclipse Gudaf Tsegay’s 14:00.21 from 2023. Fellow Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich finished second in 14:01.29, the third-fastest time ever recorded. The double record haul comes nine days after Kipyegon’s high-profile but ultimately short-lived attempt in Paris to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile; she ran 4:06.42, the fastest mile ever by a woman though outside official record criteria. Speaking in Eugene, the 31-year-old said the latest performance "was really special" and showed “there is still more in the tank.” Chebet echoed that sentiment, noting she arrived in Oregon "to prepare to run a world record" after her 14:03 in Rome last month. With the World Championships in Tokyo looming in September, the pair’s exploits underline Kenya’s strength heading into the global season and rekindle talk of further barriers—most notably the women’s four-minute mile—falling sooner rather than later.
Beatrice Chebet: 'My work in Tokyo will be simple, to make history' Read more: https://t.co/neA36ao9RP https://t.co/YK6h1cbEhO
Beatrice Chebet: 'My work in Tokyo will be simple, to make history' https://t.co/bApuT3uwM1
Beatrice Chebet: 'My work in Tokyo will be simple: to make history' https://t.co/55tlW6HLvL