Beatrice Chebet finished 2024 in world record fashion as she smashed the 5k mark in 13:54 on Tuesday at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona, Spain.
Chebet, 24, is the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier on any surface — road or track — and shaved 19 seconds off of the previous record for a mixed race. Agnes Jebet matched the record (14:13) in January at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja, a mark Chebet also set.
Last year, Chebet also made history at the same race in Barcelona after breaking the world record in 14:12. But her 2024 season further pushed herself into rarefied space when the won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Paris Olympics.
Medina Eisa finished in second in 14:23 and Belinda Chemutai was third in 14:36 in Barcelona on Tuesday.
In the men’s race, Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto took the win in 13:28 as Pierrik Jocteur Monrozier (13:28) and Abdessamad Oukhelfen (13:30) finished second and third, respectively.
But the day belonged to Chebet, who wasted no time starting off the race at an aggressive pace, and looked strong as she held steady with a cluster of the elite men in the early stages. Chebet used a late kick to blast through the finish line en route to her latest world record.
“I’m super happy as everything went according to plan,” Chebet said to reporters after the race. “I felt capable of running under 14 and I managed to do so. Two races in Barcelona and two world records — can I ask for more? My focus for next year is to win gold medals over 5000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo.”
Top finishers at the Cursa dels Nassos
Women
1. Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) – 13:54
2. Medina Eisa (Ethiopia) – 14:23
3. Belinda Chemutai (Uganda) – 14:36
4. Melknat Wudu (Ethiopia) – 14:53
5. Jana Van Lent (Belgium) – 15:24
Men
1. Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto (Kenya) – 13:28
2. Pierrik Jocteur Monrozier (France) – 13:28
3. Abdessamad Oukhelfen (Spain) – 13:30
4. Victor Gabriel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) – 13:33
5. Bdar Jaafari (Italy) – 13:41
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