In Eugene, Oregon, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet crossed the finish line at the Prefontaine Classic with a time of 28:54.14. This not only made her the winner of the race but also set a new world record for the 10,000m event. Her time was seven seconds faster than the previous record held by Letesenbet Gidey in 2021.
Gudaf Tsegay finished in second place with a time of 29:05.92, moving her to third on the world all-time list for women’s 10,000m. A total of nine women completed the race under 30 minutes, a significant milestone as there had been only 22 such performances in history prior to this race.
Throughout the race, Tsegay and Chebet closely followed the lights marking the world record pace. With three laps to go, Chebet accelerated ahead and took a commanding lead over Tsegay. As Chebet pulled further ahead with just 800m remaining, anticipation grew among spectators for her potential world record attempt.
After crossing the finish line, Chebet collapsed from exhaustion on the track while Tsegay finished closely behind her. The two athletes embraced as they witnessed their historic moment being displayed on the scoreboard behind them at the Prefontaine Classic. This achievement will be remembered as a groundbreaking milestone for women’s distance running and will surely inspire future generations of female runners to push themselves to greatness in this sport.
In conclusion, Beatrice Chebet’s victory at Prefontaine Classic not only broke a new world record but also showcased her strength and determination in women’s distance running. The performance by these two athletes will be remembered as one of historic significance and will serve as an inspiration for many aspiring athletes around the world.
