Beatrice Chebet concluded a remarkable season by setting a new world record in the women’s 5K at the Cursa dels Nassos road race in Barcelona on December 31. The 24-year-old Kenyan clocked an astonishing 13:54, becoming the first woman ever to break the 14-minute barrier for the 5K on any surface.
Chebet improved the previous world record by 19 seconds, surpassing Agnes Ngetich’s 2024 performance. Additionally, her time beat the track 5K world record, held by Gudaf Tsegay at 14:00.21 in 2023.
As reported by World Athletics, Chebet was paced by Latvia’s Dmitrijs Sergonjins, who helped her pass the 3K mark at 8:24, putting her eight seconds ahead of the world record pace. Over the last two kilometers, Chebet surged forward with splits of 2:44 and 2:46, completing the race in 13:54 with an average pace of 4:28 per mile. She finished just 26 seconds behind the men’s winner, Matthew Kipruto.
Medina Eisa of Ethiopia finished second in 14:23, setting the fastest 5K time ever by an athlete under 20.
This achievement follows Chebet’s women’s-only world record (14:13) at the same race in Barcelona a year ago.
“I’m super happy as everything went according to plan,” Chebet shared with World Athletics. “I felt capable of running under 14, and I managed to do so. Two races in Barcelona and two world records—can I ask for more? My focus for next year is to win gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the world championships in Tokyo.”
Chebet’s stellar season included winning her second world cross-country title in March and breaking the 10,000-meter world record in May at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. She also claimed double gold at the Paris Olympics in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, showing significant improvement after winning bronze in the 5,000 meters at the previous world championships.
