Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet pulled off a Kenyan world record double at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, shattering the marks in the women’s 1,500m and 5,000m world records, respectively.
Their electrifying performances stole the show during a stacked meet that served as a preview of September’s world championships in Tokyo, but also signaled why Hayward Field continues to be the stage for some of the more unforgettable moments in the sport.
Earlier in the meet, Chebet used a 61-second last lap to cross the line in 13:58.06, pulling the world record under 14 minutes for the first time and wiping away Gudaf Tsegay’s 14:00.21 mark set at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic.
Chebet, the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion, was in command from the opening lap and held steady as Tsegay and Agnes Jebet Ngetich stuck with her for the entire race. With 400m remaining the group kicked things into another gear as they lapped the back of the field.
With the record in sight and the crowd roaring, Chebet continued to kick as Tsegay simply could not keep up and was passed by Ngetich who took second in 14:01.29. Tsegay was third in 14:04.41.
“I’m so happy. After running in Rome, I said I have to prepare for a record, because in Rome I was just running to win a race, but after running 14:03, I said that I’m capable of running a world record,” Chebet said. “So, let me go back home, and then come to Eugene. When I was coming here to Eugene, I was coming to prepare to run a world record, and I said I have to try. I said if Faith is trying, why not me? And today, I’m so happy because I’ve achieved being the first woman to run under 14. I’m so happy for myself.”
In the final event of the meet, Kipyegon stole the show after she broke the 1,500m world record for a third straight year with a 3:48.68 stunner.
Kipyegon set the mark in 3:49.11 in 2023 and 3:49.04 in 2024.
But on Saturday she was prepared for battled nearly two weeks removed from her Breaking4 showcase in Paris where she fell short of her attempt to be the first woman to break the four minute barrier in the mile. She also holds the world record in the mile (4:07.64). In a sense, the attempt was a tune-up for her dominant win in Eugene, and Kipyegon looked in shape and locked in to make a statement win.
Jessica Hull held steady behind Kipyegon at the bell lap and began to elevate her chase as the pace increased.
But Kipyegon opened a sizeable gap with 150m remaining as Diribe Welteji slipped into second for a 3:51.44 finish and Hull took third in 3:52.67.
Kipyegon crossed the line to enormous cheers and pointed back at the board that showed confirmation of 3:48.68 world record.
“I think the changes were that I was preparing myself for something special, which was to run under four minutes in a mile and I think I pushed myself, getting better and better toward the 1,500, so I knew it was possible to still run under 3:49,” Kipyegon said. “I’m grateful to God that I made it today because I talked about it last week, and here I am breaking the world record.”
