Kipyegon, Chebet smash world records at Eugene Diamond League 2025

OREGON: Kenya’s runners Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet delivered a night to remember at the Eugene Diamond League 2025 here at Oregon on Saturday, rewriting athletics history with world-record-breaking performances in the women’s 1500m and 5000m events.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Kipyegon stunned the crowd by smashing her world record in the 1500 metres, clocking three minutes 48.68 seconds, a marginal improvement over the 3:49.04 she set at the Paris Diamond League in July 2023. 

This was Kipyegon first 1500m race of the season and she delivered a clinical display of endurance, pacing, and tactical brilliance.

Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji came in second with a time of 3:51.44, while Australia’s Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull finished third in 3:52.67 after closely trailing Kipyegon for most of the race.

In the women’s 5000 metres, Chebet produced one of the most breathtaking performances in distance running history. 

She became the first woman ever to complete the 5000m in under 14 minutes, setting a new world record of 13 minutes 58.06 seconds, eclipsing the previous best of 14:00.21 set by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay on the same track in September 2023.

Chebet, who claimed Olympic gold in both the 5000m and 10,000m in Paris last year, closed with a blistering final lap. 

Despite falling slightly off world-record pace with a few laps to go, she surged past both Tsegay and fellow Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich in the final 400 metres. Ngetich finished second in 14:01.29, while Tsegay settled for third in 14:04.41.

In other events, Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson continued his red-hot form by winning the men’s 100m in 9.85 seconds, following his stunning 9.75 at the Jamaican trials last week, which placed him sixth on the all-time list.

Meanwhile, American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden impressed in the women’s 100m, continuing her strong run of form this season as athletes fine-tune preparations for the global stage.