Beatrice Chebet and Gudaf Tsegay will go for the women’s world record in Rome on Friday with sub-14:00 a possibility
There is much talk this month relating to Faith Kipyegon’s upcoming attack on the four-minute mile barrier. But we’re more likely to see the first-ever sub-14-minute 5000m on the track by a woman.
It could happen on Friday (June 6), too, when Beatrice Chebet and Gudaf Tsegay go head to head at the Diamond League in Rome.
Tsegay holds the world record with 14:00.21 from Eugene in 2023 and the Ethiopian has been in great form this year with a runaway world indoor 1500m victory.
But Chebet has looked even stronger with 8:11.56 for 3000m in Rabat recently to go No.2 on the world all-time rankings. The Kenyan also won Olympic 5000m and 10,000m titles last year, took the world 10,000m record down to 28:54.14 and has run 13:54 for 5km on the roads in December.
“I just want to run good. That is the only target,” said Chebet at the pre-event press conference. “Of course there is rivalry between the athletes but everyone will run their own race and we expect a good performance.”
Also in the line-up are Italy’s Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti, Britain’s Megan Keith, Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia, plus Americans Karissa Schweizer, Josette Andrews and Shelby Houlihan.
Elsewhere in the Rome meeting, Zakithi Nene, the South African who ran a world 400m lead of 43.76 in Nairobi last weekend, faces Olympic champion Quincy Hall of the United States, European champion Alexander Doom of Belgium and Britain’s Charlie Dobson.
Elliot Giles is in a tough 1500m with Kenyans Reynold Cheruiyot, Timothy Cheruiyot and Brian Komen, plus Azeddine Habz of France.
British middle-distance runners Katie Snowden and Revee Walcott-Nolan, meanwhile, are in a women’s 1500m with Birke Haylom and Hirut Meshesha of Ethiopia together with Ireland’s Sarah Healy.
There will also be a great atmosphere in the jumps with high jump world champion Gianmarco Tamberi taking on Olympic champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand among others, whereas the long jump sees world indoor champion Mattia Furlani up against Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece.
