Beatrice Chebet after her near-record-breaking 5000m performance at the Rome Diamond League. Image: AP Photo/ Thomas Boyd.
(The Post News)– Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet delivered a jaw-dropping performance at the Rome Diamond League on Friday, nearly rewriting the record books in the women’s 5000 metres. She blazed through the race in 14:03.69, setting a new meet record and coming just 2.5 seconds short of Gudaf Tsegay’s world record set in 1997.
Chebet’s blistering form follows her recent 3000m run in Rabat, where she posted the second-fastest time in history at 8:11.56. With her current trajectory, she seems poised to do more than just chase records; she’s on track to break them. After the race, she reflected on her form, saying her body feels primed for record-breaking success, and she plans to focus her training on making it happen.
Elsewhere on the track, Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight dominated the women’s 400m hurdles with a confident 53.67 finish. American Anavia Battle snatched the women’s 200m title in 22.53, while Ireland’s Sarah Healey broke the four-minute barrier in the 1500m, finishing in 3:59.17.
The men’s events kept the crowd on edge. Switzerland’s Jason Joseph narrowly edged out American Cordell Tinch in the 110m hurdles, both timed at 13.14. In the 400m, Quincy Hall of the U.S. edged South Africa’s Zakithi Nene by a blink, clocking 44.22. Hall hinted at more to come, saying his time may be unpredictable, but progress is definitely underway.
France’s Azeddine Habz surged late in the men’s 1500m to beat Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot by just 0.03 seconds, while Trayvon Bromell sprinted to 100m glory in 9.84 seconds. High jump favourite Gianmarco Tamberi missed out on a medal as Woo Sanghyeok soared to victory at 2.32m.
About the Author
