Faith Kipyegon breaks her 1500m world record as Beatrice Chebet smashes 5,000m mark
On a day where the women's 5,000m world record also fell in the 50th running of the Prefontaine Classic, the 31-year-old Kenyan looked to be odds against to break her record at the bell. Yet Kipyegon was able to find an extra gear as she ran the last 300m in a staggering 44 seconds to break her previous world record by 0.36 sec.
Eight days earlier she had faded sharply in Paris to run 4:06 for the mile. But here she looked far stronger and sharper as she came home in 3min 48.68sec. Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji was second in 3:51.44, ahead of Australia's Jessica Hull in 3:52.67. Britain's Georgia Bell finished strongly to come fourth in a season's best 3:54.76.
Earlier the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, Beatrice Chebet, became the first woman in history to cover 5,000m inside 14 minutes, clocking a world record of 13:58.06. The Kenyan, returning to the track where she broke the world 10,000m record last year, was tracked for most of the race by the former world 5,000m record holder Gudaf Tsegay and Agnes Jebet Ngetich.
But she kicked hard with 200 metres remaining before taking 2.15 seconds off Tsegay's best. Ngetich took second place in 14:01.29, the third-fastest time in history, and Tsegay placed third in 14:04.41.
'When I was coming here to Eugene, I was coming to prepare to run a world record, and I said I have to try,' explained Chebet. 'I said if Faith is trying, why not me? And today, I'm so happy because I've achieved being the first woman to run under 14.'
There was also a thrilling men's mile race as the 20-year-old Dutch star Niels Laros came from 20 metres back in the final 100m to somehow beat the Olympic bronze medallist Yarod Neguse by one-hundredth of a second in a time of 3:45.94.
There was also a shock in the women's 100m as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden beat the Olympic champion Julien Alfred in a thriller. The pair were locked together all the way down the straight before the American just got her head in front to win in 10.75 sec, despite running into a -1.5m/s headwind, with Alfred 0.02 sec back.
Britain's Dina Asher-Smith was sixth in 11.14 with Sha'Carri Richardson last in 11.19.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
Former MLB pitcher, longtime scout Jeff Bittiger dies at 63
July 20 - Former major league pitcher Jeff Bittiger, a scout for 22 years with the Athletics, died on Saturday morning, the team announced. He was 63. The organization did not disclose the cause of death. The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, a pro independent league franchise for whom Bittiger was a longtime pitcher, coach and front office staffer, announced later Saturday that he died at his home in Pennsylvania "after a private battle with cancer." "Bitt will be remembered for his determination on and off the field, his love for the game of baseball and the countless players he coached and helped to greater career success," the North Dakota-based RedHawks said in a statement. "He's been battling cancer privately for years," Bittiger's son Brett told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. "He didn't stop working until this spring, which is very much on brand for him. ... He cared about being great." Bittiger was already scheduled to be inducted into the American Association Professional Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday in Fargo as part of the league's All-Star Game festivities. A native of Jersey City, N.J., Bittiger was selected by the New York Mets in the seventh round of the 1980 MLB Draft out of Secaucus (N.J.) High School. The right-hander made his major league debut in September 1986 with the Philadelphia Phillies and concluded his MLB career in May 1989 with the Chicago White Sox. His career record was 4-6 with a 4.77 ERA, 42 walks and 53 strikeouts in 33 games (12 starts) for the Phillies (1986), Minnesota Twins (1987) and White Sox (1988-89). "Jeff spent his whole life around the game: playing, coaching, and scouting," Billy Beane, a senior advisor to Athletics owner John Fisher and the team's former general manager, said in a statement. "He was as good a person as he was a scout, and he was a hell of a scout. He knew pitchers inside and out and you could tell how much he loved baseball just by being around him. We're all better for having been lucky enough to spend time with him at a game or in the draft room." The Athletics said he played independent baseball until age 40. He was a scout for the organization for 22 years. "As an area scout, he signed (2009 American League) Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey, and he was a critical voice in many trade acquisitions over the last 10 years as a member of our Professional Scouting staff," the Athletics said in a statement. "Thank you, Jeff, for your dedication not only to the A's organization, but to the game of baseball." --Field Level Media
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
Jessica Hull breaks Australian mile record at London Diamond League meet
Jessica Hull has gone record hunting again, smashing her own Australian and Oceanian mile marks but still having to settle for second best at a star-studded Diamond League meeting in London. While Hull and high jumper Eleanor Patterson grabbed runners-up spots at the London Stadium to lead the Australian challenge in front of a 60,000 full house on Saturday, it also proved a landmark day for Newcastle's Rose Davies who obliterated her own national and Oceanian 5000m marks while finishing third. But on another promising afternoon for Australia's athletes, as they started building their preparations for the Tokyo World Championships, there was a setback for young miling sensation Cam Myers, whose promising bid in the meeting-concluding 1500m ended with an on-track bump. Olympic metric mile silver medallist Hull's eyes must have lit up when Gudaf Tsegay seemed to be setting a suicidal pace in the mile, but as the Wollongong ace moved up to her shoulder, Ethiopia's former double world champ found an extra gear to win comfortably in a new national record 4min 11.88sec. Hull's substantial consolation was to lower her own Oceanian mark to 4:13.68. 'I had a lot of distractions, but was just trying to zone into the leader in the second half, but it was a solid run,' said Hull. 'Coming in, we were thinking I could run a national record, and I did. I would have liked to have been a little closer to 4:10, but I felt very strong for 4:13. 'A lot of records fell today, so it was a pretty special to be a part of that race.' Earlier on Saturday, Davies clocked 14:31.45 for third behind the Ethiopian duo of Medina Eisa (14:30.57) and Fantaye Belayneh (14:30.90), her run eclipsing her previous national mark of 14:40.83, set in China in April, by more than nine seconds. Georgia Griffith finished fifth in a huge new personal best 14:32.82 to also smash the former record. 'I was ready for a big race and felt like I responded to the challenge today,' said Davies. 'My expectations were a PB (personal best) and I have achieved that so I am really pleased.' Former world champ Patterson was surprised her 1.93 metre clearance was enough to earn her the silver as even Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh had an off-day, allowing British home hope Morgan Lake to win with a 1.96m leap. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion 'I am very honoured to be known as 'Miss Consistent' as it reflects my aim to be consistently jumping well,' said Patterson. 'Today doesn't quite match up to it -- but if 1.93 is a bad day and second I can't be too mad about it' Myers, the 19-year-old Canberran phenomenon who's had a stunning year in the senior ranks already while finishing runner-up in Oslo's Dream Mile, looked ready for the next step as he moved sweetly into contention on the final lap of the metric mile. But about to make his move in fourth, he and Briton George Mills clipped heels, taking each other out of contention, and Myers ended up limping home way down in 13th place in 4:24.03, wondering what might have been as another teenage superstar, Kenya's Phanuel Koech, won in the fastest time ever seen in the UK, 3:28.82. International highlight of the day may have been Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred smashing her own national St Lucian record while running the fastest 200m in the world this year (21.71sec). Australian hope Torrie Lewis couldn't live with that, finishing last in 23.05.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Georgia Hunter Bell wins 800m Diamond League meeting and reveals she will seek advice of Dame Kelly Holmes ahead of Tokyo World Championships
Georgia Hunter Bell emerged from the shadows of training partner Keely Hodgkinson to give the London Stadium something to shout about on a day of shocks with both Noah Lyles and Britain's reigning world champion Josh Kerr beaten. On the day that Britain launched its bid to host the 2029 world championships, 31-year-old Hunter Bell provided an extra feelgood factor for a capacity 60,000 crowd attending the Diamond League meeting. Despite being a bronze medallist in last year's Olympics 1500metres, Hunter Bell remains relatively unsung compared to middle-distance queen Hodgkinson, the reigning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But with her friend injured, Hunter Bell took full advantage to power away from a strong 800metres field to win in a season's best 1m56.74s with home athletes Jemma Reekie and Laura Muir down the field. Hunter Bell could now double up in the 800 and 1500 at September's world championship in Tokyo but will first ask the advice of Dame Kelly Holmes – who won Olympic gold in both. 'Technically it is an option because the schedule is generous for it,' she said. 'I might reach out to Kelly and see what she thinks. I don't know. It is hard but one event completes before the second one starts. On the GB bid, she added: 'You feel so supported in this stadium. It was so noisy for us British girls in the race, it was incredible. Having the worlds here would be incredible.' And though Hodgkinson's hamstring issues have prevented her from racing since the Olympics, Hunter Bell expects her rival to be on the start line in Tokyo. 'She's good. She's working her way back,' confirmed Hunter Bell. 'No-one wants to be racing more than Keely. She'll be back soon. We train with each other and make each other quicker.' Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Kerr in the 1500metres as he was outpaced by teenage Kenyan sensation Phanuel Koech and finished second. Fourth-place Jake Wightman doesn't think Koech's eye-catching time of 3m28.82s should make him favourite for the worlds. 'The Diamond League are pace races. It is different in championships when there is no one to dictate pace and you need to be astute,' he said. An even bigger upset came in the men's 100m when the supposed fastest man on the planet, Olympic 100m champion Lyles, looked sluggish next to Jamaican rival Oblique Seville who clocked 9.86s. On the GB bid, she added: 'You feel so supported in this stadium. It was so noisy for us British girls in the race, it was incredible.' In mitigation, it was Lyles' first race at the distance since Paris and he insisted afterwards: 'There is no need to panic.' Charlie Dobson was a British winner in the 400metres ahead of compatriot Matt Hudson-Smith but there was disappointment for other home favourites Dina Asher-Smith, Katerina Johnson-Thompson and Molly Caudery in their individual events. Earlier in the day, Athletics Ventures had announced a GB bid for the 2029 world championships and world Paralympics, backed by Prime Minister Keir Stramer who said: 'Bringing them here would be a moment of great national pride and provide a boost for businesses and jobs.' However, the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, warned there will be stiff competition from other major cities in different continents. He said: 'London has some very clear and obvious assets. We are an athletics-loving nation and people turn up. But it will be competitive. There are a lot of good cities out there,' he said. 'I'm not going to give a list of runners and riders but there are cities who have already expressed an interest and are engaging with us.' There was no louder cheer in the old Olympic Stadium yesterday than the British 4x400metre relay squad receiving their rightful gold medal from the 1997 world championships – 28 years late. Originally finishing second to USA, they were upgraded to first in 2008 when it was discovered Antonio Pettigrew in the American team was a drugs cheat. It's taken all this time since for Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hilton to all be available at the same British meet to receive their gongs. The moment had extra poignancy for Thomas, who has given his medal to six-year-old son Teddy, who spent 10 days in intensive care as a baby after catching Group B Strep (GBS) that causes breathing difficulties. The ceremony also had a tinge of sadness as Pettigrew committed suicide in 2010, aged 42. 'I'd rather him have the gold medal than taking his life,' said Baulch.
