Beatrice Chebet showed incredible speed in the final lap to beat her Kenyan teammate Faith Kipyegon and win the women’s 5,000m at the World Championships on Saturday, completing a stunning double after also winning the 10,000m last weekend.
Chebet crossed the line in 14 minutes 54.36 seconds, finishing just 0.71 seconds ahead of Kipyegon, who was aiming to win both the 1,500m and 5,000m. The win adds to Chebet’s impressive record after she also won both long-distance events at last year’s Paris Olympics.
The race started off at a gentle pace, led by Americans Shelby Houlihan and Josette Andrews, with the pack staying close together for most of the race. Kipyegon and Chebet often ran side by side, while fellow Kenyan Agnes Ngetich kept a close watch just behind them.
Things started to pick up after the first three laps. Houlihan pushed the pace, and Chebet moved forward to join the leading group, which included Italy’s Nadia Battocletti – a former Olympic and World silver medallist.
With 600 metres to go, Kipyegon surged forward, followed closely by Chebet and Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay. At the bell for the final lap, Kipyegon was in second place, just behind Battocletti.
Kipyegon looked strong going into the final bend, but Chebet had one last gear. In the final 50 metres, she kicked hard and sprinted past everyone to claim gold.
Tsegay couldn’t keep up and faded to fifth, while Battocletti finished fast to take bronze in 14:55.42, just ahead of Houlihan.
