Kenya’s athletics queens Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet delivered unforgettable performances at the Prefontaine Classic, a Diamond League meeting held in Eugene, Oregon, where both athletes broke world records in thrilling fashion.
Kipyegon, the three-time Olympic 1500m champion, stunned fans by lowering her own world record in the women’s 1500m to an astonishing 3:48.68, slicing 0.36 seconds off her previous mark. The 31-year-old’s victory comes just over a week after narrowly missing the elusive sub-four-minute mile barrier.
“I just wanted to run my race and see what was possible,” said Kipyegon, who continues to dominate the middle-distance scene with unmatched consistency and elegance.
Her compatriot Beatrice Chebet, 25, followed suit in the women’s 5,000m by clocking 13:58.06, shaving more than two seconds off the previous world record held by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, also set in Eugene two years ago.
“When I was coming here to Eugene, I was coming to prepare to run a world record,” said a jubilant Chebet. “I’m so happy.” With the record-breaking run, Chebet now holds both the 5,000m and 10,000m world records and Olympic titles, cementing her place as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
The meet featured 17 individual Olympic champions and 14 world-record holders, making it one of the most competitive events ahead of next month’s World Championships in Tokyo.
For Team GB, Matt Hudson-Smith shone with a season’s best 44.10 to clinch the men’s 400m, ahead of American challengers Christopher Bailey and Jacory Patterson. British sprint star Zharnel Hughes also impressed, finishing second in the men’s 100m with a season’s best 9.91, just behind Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who powered to victory in 9.85.
In the women’s sprints, American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden clocked 10.75 to win the 100m, ahead of Olympic champion Julien Alfred. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith finished seventh.
The 800m women’s race saw Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma win in 1:57.10, with Britain’s Jemma Reekie equalling her season’s best of 1:58.66 in seventh. Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson missed the race due to ongoing injury recovery.
In the Bowerman Mile, Dutch prodigy Niels Laros delivered a breathtaking finish, overtaking American Yared Nuguse in the final metres to win by just 0.01 seconds. Britons Jake Wightman and Neil Gourley placed eighth and 12th respectively.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis soared to 6.00m to win the men’s pole vault with ease, while American star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone matched her season’s best 49.43 to win the women’s 400m, edging out Aaliyah Butler and Isabella Whittaker. Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke finished fourth.
The Diamond League now heads to Monaco, followed by a sold-out London Athletics Meet on 19 July. The Zurich finals will be held on 27–28 August, just weeks before the World Athletics Championships kick off in Tokyo, Japan.
With Kenya’s stars already hitting peak form, the stage is set for a historic championship season. All eyes now turn to Monaco as the road to Tokyo continues.
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