Using a thunderous kick in the last 200 meters, Beatrice Chebet of Kenya broke the world record in the 5,000 meters on Saturday, running 13:58.06 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Her time bests the previous world record set by Gudaf Tsegay (14:00.21) from the same meet in 2023, making Chebet the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier on the track.
Agnes Ngetich was second in 14:01.29, and Tsegay, who was also competing on Saturday, placed third in 14:04.41. The trio were well ahead of the rest of the field; fourth-placer Margaret Akidor finished in 14:30.34.
The race was set up to take a stab at the world record. For the opening stages, the field was led by pacers, but when the final one stepped off after the 2,000-meter mark, Chebet assumed the leading position. She would not relinquish it the rest of the race. Although she fell slightly behind the Wavelight pacing lights set to world record pace, Chebet entered the last lap needing to run at least 63.50 seconds to get the record.
With 200 meters to go, she dropped Tsegay—who was visibly struggling to match the tempo—with a fierce kick, covering the final 400 meters in 61.73 seconds.
In addition to becoming the first woman to run under 14:00 on the track, Chebet has also broken the barrier on the roads. On New Year’s Eve in 2024, she ran 13:54 at the Cursa dels Nassos road race in Barcelona, Spain.
Chebet’s resume is one of the most impressive in track and field. At the Paris Olympics last summer, she won gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, and she also owns the world record in the 10,000 meters, 28:54.14, which she set at Prefontaine last May.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
