Rome Diamond League: Beatrice Chebet Obliterates Gudaf Tsegay in 5000m, Timothy Cheruiyot Narrowly Misses 1500m Title

Rome Diamond League: Beatrice Chebet Obliterates Gudaf Tsegay in 5000m, Timothy Cheruiyot Narrowly Misses 1500m Title

Mark Kinyanjui 00:39 - 07.06.2025

Beatrice Chebet continued her fine start to the season with a statement 5000m win at the Rome Diamond League classic, while Timothy Cheruiyot just missed out on the 1500 meters.

Beatrice Chebet continued her fine start to her 2025  season by completely flooring her competitors, including Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at the Rome Diamond League classic on Friday night to set a new meet record.

Chebet got over the line on 14.03.69 to run the second fastest time ever recorded in the event by a woman, missing out on the world record incidentally set by Tsegay of 14:00.21 in Eugene in 2023.

Hailu Freweyni came in a distant second on  14.19.33, while  Nadia Battocletti of Italy came in third on 14.23.15.

Tsegay will be disappointed with her 14.24.86 run  despite it being her seasonal best, considering she piled pressure on Chebet with three laps to go, but started withering as the race progressed.

 Birke Haylom followed in fourth in 14:24.20, while American Josette Andrews was the top U.S. finisher, claiming sixth in a new PB of 14:25.37.

But the night truly belonged to Chebet.

Her time was not only a Kenyan national record—it was also the fastest 5000m in the world this year and obliterated the meeting record previously held by Sifan Hassan. She now firmly positions herself as the favorite for gold at the Tokyo World Championships this September.

Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot Falls Agonizingly Short in 1500m

In the men's 1500m, Kenya's former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot was just fractions of a second away from claiming the title, finishing a close second to France’s Azzedine Habz in a thrilling finish. Habz crossed the line in 3:29.72, with Cheruiyot just 0.03 seconds behind in 3:29.75.

Both men clocked season bests in a race that saw nine athletes dip under 3:32.

Morocco’s Anass Essayi also impressed, setting a personal best of 3:30.74 for third place, while Germany’s Robert Farken finished just behind in a new national record of 3:30.80.

Another Kenyan, Reynold Cheruiyot, showed promising form as he climbed six places from his seed position to finish sixth in 3:30.94, also a season best. However, compatriot Brian Komen, despite running 3:31.14, dropped 12 spots from his seeding to finish eighth.

It was a brutally competitive race, with the top 13 athletes all finishing within a three-second span.