HISTORY WRITTEN

Chebet breaks 24-year meet record at Oslo Diamond League

Chebet cut the tape by clocking a personal best of 8:25.01.

In Summary

• With her time she also broke a 24-year-old meeting record of 8:27.21 set by Romania's Gabriela Szaboof in June 1999.

• The 23-year-old stuck right behind the race pacemaker Sarah Billings before speeding off in the final lap to overtake compatriot Lilian Kasait with 150m to victory.

Beatrice Chebet celebrates after clinching the women's 5000m title at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Beatrice Chebet celebrates after clinching the women's 5000m title at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Image: FILE

Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet led a Kenyan sweep as she emerged victorious in the women's 3,000m race at the Oslo Diamond League in Norway on Thursday night.

Chebet cut the tape by clocking a personal best of 8:25.01.

With her time, she also broke a 24-year-old meeting record of 8:27.21 set by Romania's Gabriela Szaboof in June 1999.

The 23-year-old stuck right behind the race pacemaker Sarah Billings before speeding off in the final lap to overtake compatriot Lilian Kasait with 150m to victory.

The former 3,000m and world under-20 championship silver medallist finished second in a personal and season's best of 8:25.90.

World 5,000m silver medalist Margaret Chelimo completed the Kenya sweep after clocking a personal best of 8:26.14.

Other Kenyans, Agnes Chebet and debutant Caroline Nyagah finished seventh and eighth respectively.

Chebet's win comes on the back of winning the World Cross Country title in Bathurst, Australia and a 5,000m race at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi. 

Elsewhere in the men’s 5000m, the 10000m world silver medalist Yomif Kejelcha edged out Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo in a photo finish to win in a meeting record and world lead of 12:41.73.

In the meantime, Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a new European record of 3:27.95, making him the sixth fastest man in the history of 1,500m race.

The 2019 world champion Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot finished fourth in 3:29.08 in a race that saw eight athletes running sub-3:30.