Beatrice Chebet Shatters Records: Triumphs in Rome Diamond League

• Beatrice Chebet set the second-fastest time in the history of women's 5000m as she eased to another Diamond League win
• The two-time Olympic winner competed in Rome on Friday night, following an impressive showing in Rabat two weeks prior.
• The performance by Chebet mirrored this, as she took control of the race and shattered the meet record, one that had stood for nine years.

Beatrice Chebet nearly shattered the women's 5000m world record after clocking up the second-quickest time ever recorded in this discipline on June 6, 2025.

Chebet easily outpaced her competitors during the Rome Diamond League on Friday night, finishing the race at the Olympic Stadium with a time of 14:03.69.

Hailu Fwereyni from Ethiopia secured the second position with a personal best timing of 14:19.33, whereas Italy’s Nadia Battocletti established a new national record at 14:23:15, joining Chebet on the podium.

The two-time Olympic winner squared off against the world-record holder in the competition, Gudaf Tsegay, yet the Ethiopian competitor could not keep up with the Kenyan even though she managed respectable early laps.

Tsegay's time of 14:00.21 set at the Eugene Diamond League in 2023 remained unscathed, but she was out of her depth in the cool conditions in Rome.

Chebet, who technically led from start to finish bar the pacemakers, injected some pace in her strides after the second pacemaker, Margaret Akidor, faded out after 3000m.

Tsegay accompanied her as the front group narrowed to six members, including four Ethiopians along with Italian runner Nadia Battocletti, who were closely monitoring Chebet’s progress.

The surprise of the race came shortly after as Tsegay surprisingly faded away, leaving Chebet to compete with the clock with three laps to go.

Beatrice Chebet establishes new meet record in Rome

Although Chebet couldn't go under 14 minutes, she shattered the previous meet record of 14:12:59 established by Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana back in 2016. Only Tsegay has recorded a quicker time compared to hers.

Before this race, Chebet's personal best was 14:05.92. Faith Kipyegon wraps up the top three places with a time of 14:05.20, which she set in 2023. Only four women have run this race under 14:10 in history, with Letesenbet Gidey being the other one.

Chebet aims for the women's 5000m world record

Speaking after the race, Chebet was impressed with her time, revealing she was aiming for a modest 14:15.

“I simply said to myself, let me focus on my own performance today. My target time was 14:15, yet I sensed that my body was performing admirably, which encouraged me to aim higher. It’s clear now that I am in excellent condition and have the potential to chase down the world record. I plan to return home and gear up for this challenge—anything is achievable. With some assistance maintaining a strong pace until reaching 3000 meters, achieving this becomes entirely feasible.”

The 25-year-old competitor additionally issued a challenge to her opponents, declaring that she aims to finish below 14 minutes in future competitions.

"Today was about testing how fast I could go if I really pushed. After running a meeting record and a personal best, I’m truly impressed. Very soon, I’ll be chasing a time under 14 minutes."

For Chebet, this moment represented once again being tantalizingly close but still falling short following her effort in Rabat, Morocco. In the women’s 3000m race, she delivered the second-quickest time recorded for the event and also achieved the quickest mark witnessed in more than three decades.

Ferdinand Omanyala finishes third in Rabat

In a different race, Ferdinand Omanyala finished third in the men's 100m at the same event in Rome. Omanyala missed a sub-10 time once again, clocking 10.01 to get the podium finish.

It served as a form of redemption for the quickest runner from Africa, who suffered an unexpected loss at his own turf during the Kipkeino Classic earlier this week.

Tryavon Bromell recorded his quickest time since June 2022 by setting a new world-leading mark to claim victory in the competition. Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme finished third with a time of 9.99 seconds.