In Oregon, USA
Olympics 5,000 metres and 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet, and three-time Olympics 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon have inspired each to rise dizzying heights in athletics.
On Saturday, Chebet broke the world record in women’s 5,000m race at Prefontaine Classic Diamond League Meeting in Oregon, USA, when she timed 13 minutes and 58.06 seconds.
Beatrice Chebet of Kenya celebrates winning the women's 5,000m race in a world record 13:58.06 during the 50th Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on July 5, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
An hour later, Kipyegon weighed in with a world record of her own over 1,500m, the 31-year-old employing searing pace to burn her opponents on her way to clocking 3: 48.68, lowering her old record of 3:49.09 from 2024 Paris Diamond League.
When Chebet timed 14:03.69 to win women’s 5,000 metres race in Rome Diamond League meeting on June 6, she knew she could run a faster time.
After all, that performance had made her the second fastest woman over 5,000m in history. More importantly, that performance prompted her to quietly retreat to her training base in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, to begin the heavy lifting to be in shape for a possible world record attempt ‘soon’. Days later, Chebet declared that she would attempt the world record on July 5 at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League Meeting in Oregon.
On Saturday, Chebet, who also holds the world record over 10,000m, lived true to her promise of a world record attempt in Oregon, blowing away a quality field to deliver a new mark of 13:58.06.
In lowering the old record of 14:00.21 set by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay on the same course in 2023, Chebet becomes the first woman to run the distance in under 14 minutes. Her time is both a meet record, world record, and Diamond League record.
Afterwards, Chebet said she had drawn inspiration from Kipyegon’s 'Breaking4' project in Paris, where the three-time Olympics 1,500m champion had sought to become the first woman to run the mile in less than four minutes. Chebet now hopes her performance can inspire many young girls out there who are looking up to her.
“I remember when I graduated to the senior category of athletics, I would finish in 10th place in Diamond League races because the level of competition was high but I pressed on because I knew I had the talent and I wanted to deliver. I am happy that everything is falling in place now, and I hope young girls around the world can learn from me,” she told Nation Sport on Saturday in Oregon soon after breaking the world record.
After her record-breaking run on Saturday, Kipyegon also said she had been inspired by Chebet’s record hours earlier to deliver a fast time in the 1,500m.
“When Chebet became the first woman to run the 5000m in less than 14 minutes, it really inspired me to run my own race in a better way. Above all, self-discipline has always been my secret, that is why I have been running since I was 15 years old,” Kipyegon said.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya reacts after winning the women's 1,500m race in a world record time of 3:48.68 during the 50th Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on July 5, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Kipyegon also heaped praises on her coach Patrick Sang “for bringing out the best in me during training.”
“This is really special for me and my team, including my coach Sang. After taking part in the ‘Breaking4” Project in Paris, I had to try and run faster today because of the conducive weather here (in Oregon), and also the track here has been associated with fast times,” she observed.
In other races held on Saturday, Olympics 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Faith Cherotich registered a personal best time of 8:48.71 to finish second behind Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi ( 8:45.25). Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai was third in 8:51.77.
In women’s 800m race, Mary Moraa finished ninth after clocking 2:00.51 in a race won by Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.10) with South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso (1:57.16) second and Uganda’s Halima Nakaayi (1:57.89) third.
In men’s 1 Mile, Reynold Cheruiyot of Kenya finished fifth in 3:47.46, with Timothy Cheruiyot coming in seventh place in 3:47.71.
