Beatrice Chebet breaks 5 km world record in Barcelona event

In a stunning race in Barcelona on the last day of 2023, Kenya's Beatrice Chebet ended her year on a high as she set a new world record for the women's 5 km marathon.

Chebet clocked a phenomenal 14:13 at the Cursa dels Nassos, a World Athletics Label road race, to better the previous record by six seconds. However, the record is still subject to World Athletics’ usual ratification procedure and will be considered official only after that.

The race started strong, with Ethiopia’s Ejegayehu Taye and Medina Eisa, Kenya’s Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, and Uganda's Joy Cheptoyek keeping pace alongside Beatrice Chebet in finishing the opening kilometer at 2:49.

Eisa eventually dropped behind the group somewhere before the halfway mark, and Cheptoyek fell back after 4 km. The race came down to Beatrice Chebet and Ejegayehu Taye, the now former world-record holder of the 5 km.

With only 500m to go, Chebet gave it her all, outpacing her Ethiopian rival ahead of the final stretch. The Kenyan seemed on a different level as she crossed the finish line with a 14:13, clear of any competition.

"I came to Barcelona determined to better the world record as I felt capable of that. This world record means a lot for me, I can't believe it,” Chebet told World Athletics after the race.

Beatrice Chebet’s career highlights

Beatrice Chebet first made her name known on the global stage as a junior athlete, when she clinched the gold in the 5 km event at the World U20 Championships in Athletics in 2018. She followed this up with a gold in the junior women's event at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships.

While 2021 was a forgettable year for Chebet, she put up some truly phenomenal performances in 2022. That year, the Kenyan raced to a silver in the 5 KM at the Eugene World Athletics Championships, and a gold in the same event at the Diamond League. She was also crowned the winner of the 2022 African Championships, and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Beatrice Chebet kicked off her 2023 with two top-of-the-podium finishes at the World Cross Country Championships, in the senior race and senior team events. Next, she went on to claim bronze in her specialist event at the Budapest World Athletics Championships. 2023 also saw Chebet clinch the title at the Riga World Road Running Championships in the 5 km event, with a time of 14:35.