It was a fairytale end for four Kenyan athletes at the Diamond League finals in Brussels on Saturday, September 14.
Paris Olympic medallists Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, Faith Cherotich and Emmanuel Wanyonyi all triumphed to lift their respective Diamond League trophies at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in the Belgian capital.
Beatrice Chebet of Kenya celebrates after winning the Women's 5000m final.
Photo credit: Reuters
Chebet, the double Olympic 10,000m and 5,000m medallist, reclaimed her 5,000m title with a new meeting record of 14:09.42.
She beat the previous record of 14:28.89 set by Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana in 2016, although she fell just short of beating her world-leading time of 14:09.52 from Zurich on 5 September.
"It's been an amazing year with the double gold medal in Paris and now the Diamond League Trophy," said Chebet, who plans to celebrate her achievements with her family in Londiani, Kericho County.
In a thrilling race, Chebet edged out Ethiopia's Medina Eisa, who set a world U20 record of 14:21.89, while Ethiopia's Fotyen Tesfaye finished third with a personal best of 14:28.53.
Three-time Olympic and World 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon secured her fifth Diamond League trophy with a meeting record of 3:54.75, beating the previous mark of 3:55.33 set by Turkey's Sureyya Ayankrop in 2003.
"It's not easy to seal my third Olympic title and fifth Diamond League Trophy in one season against emerging talent, but it can only get better," said Kipyegon, the 1,500m world record holder (3:49.04, 2024).
Kipyegon described the race as challenging, citing the cold conditions, but was happy to end her Diamond League season on a high. She plans to wrap up her season in New York on October 12 before taking a well-deserved break.
Faith Cherotich, the Olympic and World bronze medallist in the 3,000m steeplechase, pulled off a stunning victory over Olympic and World champion Wilfred Yavi of Bahrain to win her first Diamond League Trophy in 9:02.36.
Yavi, who had been hoping for a world record, finished second in 9:02.87, with 2021 Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai third in 9:07.60.
"It wasn't easy, but I kept telling myself that if I was still in the lead after the last water jump, I would win. Winning the Diamond League means the world to me," said the 20-year-old Cherotich.
Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi once again showed his dominance, beating world champion Marco Arop of Canada and Algeria's Djamel Sedjati to retain his trophy. Wanyonyi clocked 1:42.86, Sedjati 1:42.86 and Arop 1:43.25.
"The conditions were tough and cold today. The last metres were very hard, as they always are," said the 20-year-old Wanyonyi.
