Faith Kipyegon delivered a remarkable performance in Eugene, bouncing back from her setback in Paris by breaking her own 1500m world record.
During the 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic, where the women’s 5,000m world record was also eclipsed, the 31-year-old Kenyan appeared unlikely to surpass her previous best as the final lap began. Yet she accelerated impressively over the last 300m, finishing in 44 seconds to beat her own record by 0.36 seconds.
Just a week earlier, she had struggled in Paris, clocking 4:06 in the mile event. This time, however, she appeared far stronger, crossing the line in 3:48.68. Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji secured second place with 3:51.44, while Australia’s Jessica Hull came third in 3:52.67. Britain’s Georgia Bell took fourth with a season-best time of 3:54.76.
Earlier in the meet, Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet made history as the first woman to complete the distance in under 14 minutes, setting a new world record of 13:58.06. Racing on the same track where she broke the 10,000m world record last year, Chebet engaged in a closely contested battle with former 5,000m record holder Gudaf Tsegay and Agnes Jebet Ngetich.
With 200 meters remaining, Chebet surged ahead, cutting 2.15 seconds off Tsegay’s previous record. Ngetich finished second in 14:01.29—the third-fastest time in history—while Tsegay placed third in 14:04.41.
“I came to Eugene aiming for a world record,” Chebet said. “If Faith can try, why not me? Today, I’m thrilled to have achieved this milestone.”
In the men’s mile race, Dutch runner Niels Laros produced a dramatic finish, overtaking Olympic bronze medallist Yarod Neguse in the final meters to win by 0.01 seconds, clocking 3:45.94.
The women’s 100m also featured an upset as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edged out Olympic champion Julien Alfred. The two were neck-and-neck down the straight, but Jefferson-Wooden won in 10.75 seconds despite facing a headwind, with Alfred just 0.02 seconds behind. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith finished sixth in 11.14, while Sha’Carri Richardson came last in 11.19.
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