Faith Kipyegon broke her own 1500m world record with a time of 3:48.68.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet delivered magical performances at the Diamond League meet in Eugene, Oregon, rewriting the record books in their respective races. Kipyegon, already the reigning Olympic and world champion, sliced 0.36 seconds off her previous 1500m world record to set a new time of 3:48.68.
Chebet followed suit with her historic feat in the 5000m, stopping the clock at 13:58.06, eclipsing the mark set by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at the same venue two years ago.
“When I came to Eugene, I came with one goal to break the world record,” Chebet said after her win.
Just over a week after falling short of breaking the four-minute mile barrier, Kipyegon made a bold comeback. The 31-year-old showed she remains the queen of the 1500m, delivering a perfectly paced run that saw her surge clear of the pack in the final lap.
Her new mark reaffirms her dominance in middle-distance running as she heads toward the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
The Oregon event, famously known as the Prefontaine Classic, featured 17 Olympic champions and 14 world-record holders. In the men’s 400m, Britain’s Matt Hudson-Smith took top honours with a season’s best 44.10, beating Americans Christopher Bailey and Jacory Patterson.
In the men’s 100m, Britain’s Zharnel Hughes also posted a season-best of 9.91 to finish second behind Jamaican Kishane Thompson, who won in 9.85.
In the women’s 800m, Jemma Reekie clocked 1:58.66 to match her season’s best and finish seventh. Dina Asher-Smith came seventh in the women’s 100m, where American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden surged to victory in 10.75, edging Olympic champion Julien Alfred.
Dutch teenager Niels Laros stunned American Yared Nuguse in a dramatic Bowerman Mile finish. Laros edged him by just 0.01 seconds, closing with a strong final burst to win a race that left fans in awe.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis cleared 6.00m with ease in the pole vault, while two-time Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran 49.43 in the women’s 400m to fend off Aaliyah Butler and Isabella Whittaker.
The Diamond League will next land in Monaco, before a highly anticipated London Athletics Meet on July 19. The grand finale is set for Zurich on August 27-28, just before the World Championships in Tokyo kick off in September.
