Beatrice Chebet continued her sensational 2025 season with a blistering performance at the Rome Diamond League on Friday night, clocking an extraordinary 14:03.69 to win the women’s 5000m.
The Kenyan distance star broke the national record previously held by Faith Kipyegon, set a world lead, and became the second-fastest woman in history over the distance.
After a tactically charged opening, Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo took the early lead, controlling the pace until the 1600m mark before dropping off and registering a DNF.
Gudaf Tsegay, who had piled the pressure on Chebet with three laps to go, began to falter as the Kenyan shifted gears in the closing stages. Chebet powered through the final lap to claim a commanding victory, obliterating the previous meet record held by Sifan Hassan and narrowly missing out on Tsegay’s world record of 14:00.21 set in Eugene in 2023.
Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia finished a distant second in 14:19.33, while Italy’s Nadia Battocletti delighted the home crowd with a strong third-place finish in 14:23.15. Tsegay, visibly frustrated, crossed the line in fourth with a season-best 14:24.86, a result that not only fell short of expectations but also highlighted a growing rivalry with the dominant Kenyan.
Tension Beyond the Track
Post-race, Tsegay’s disappointment boiled over as she appeared to dismiss Chebet’s congratulatory gesture, refusing an attempted hug. This incident adds another chapter to Tsegay’s growing history of tense exchanges with Kenyan athletes.
At the Paris Olympics, Tsegay was at the center of controversy after a clash with Faith Kipyegon in the 5000m final. Attempting to block Kipyegon into the inside lane, Tsegay’s tactics backfired as she faded to ninth while Kipyegon and Chebet secured Kenya’s gold and silver medals.
Kipyegon was initially disqualified for ‘jostling and obstruction’ but had her medal reinstated following a successful appeal by Team Keny, a moment that made Tsegay a marked figure on the track, both by organizers and competitors.
Chebet’s Meteoric Rise
Chebet’s performance in Rome cements her status as the premier female distance runner on the planet. In the past year, she has achieved an astonishing sweep of accolades, a World Cross Country title, a 10,000m world record of 28:54, and double Olympic gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
At just 25, Chebet is only getting better. She opened her 2025 season with a commanding 14:27 run in Xiamen, closed her final 200m in a staggering 26.6 seconds, and clocked an 8:11 in Rabat, a time faster than any non-Chinese woman has ever managed over 3,000m. Remarkably, Chebet has already broken the 14:00 barrier on the road, clocking 13:54 at the Barcelona New Year’s Eve race, traditionally not a peak time for elite athletes.
With the World Championships in Tokyo looming this September, Chebet has firmly positioned herself as the woman to beat.
