Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet has set her sights on becoming the first woman to run a sub-14-minute 5000m, following her commanding victory at the fifth Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Rome on Friday, June 6.
Chebet stormed to the second-fastest 5000m time in history, clocking 14:03.69 — just three seconds shy of the world record. The 25-year-old Kenyan shattered the national record and finished more than 15 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.
“I wanted to try and see how fast I can go when I push a lot,” Chebet said after the race. “Soon, I am going for a time of under 14 minutes.”
The performance continues a dominant run for Chebet, who enjoyed a historic 2024 season where she won Olympic gold in both the 5000m and 10,000m, broke the 10km world record in Eugene, and claimed her second Diamond Trophy in Brussels.
She opened her 2025 campaign in Xiamen with a world-leading 14:27.12, before clocking 8:11.56 in Rabat to become the second-fastest woman in 3000m history.
In Rome, Chebet not only dominated but helped elevate the field. Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu finished second in a personal best of 14:19.33, while Italy’s Nadia Battocletti thrilled the home crowd with a new national record of 14:23.15 to take third place.
“I just said, ‘let’s run my race today.’ I was planning to run 14:15, but I felt like my body was moving and I decided to go,” Chebet told World Athletics. “I see that my body is in good shape, and I am capable of the world record. Now I am going home to prepare for it. Everything is possible — if I get someone to push me to 3000m, it is possible.”
The race in Rome was also historic for its depth. All top 14 finishers crossed the line in under 14:50, a testament to the high pace Chebet set.
“I can say I also helped the others to achieve their personal bests and national records today. I have to congratulate them, because without them, it wouldn’t be possible to run that race,” she added.
