Faith Kipyegon Breaks Second World Record in a Week As She Wins 5000m in Paris

Faith Kipyegon Breaks Second World Record in a Week As She Wins 5000m in Paris

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at June 9, 2023 at 8:47 PM
  • Faith Kipyegon has broken another world record
  • The Kenyan broke the 1500m world record in Florence, Italy, last week
  • She stunned Ethipiopian and 5000m world record holder Letesenbet Gidey by clocking 14:05.20

A week after smashing the 1500m world record at the Florence Diamond League meet, Faith Kipyegon has broken the 5000m world record at the Paris Diamond League.

The Kenyan beat Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey, who happened to be the 5000m world record holder.

Faith Kipyegon, Laura Muir, Wanda Diamond League, Eliud Kipchoge, Letesenbet Gidey, Paris Diamond League
Faith Kipyegon is a double world and Olympic gold medal winner in 1500m. Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos.
Source: Getty Images

Kipyegon clocked 14:05.20, beating her personal best (14:31.95) she set at the distance in 2015 in Paris.

Gidey's set the world record of 14:06.62 in 2020 in Valencia but was stunned by Kipyegon, who was running in her first 5000m in eight years.

Gidey was comfortable for much of the race, but Kipyegon was probing behind her. The 29-year-old passed the Ethiopian with a few laps to go but fell back. However, in the last 200m, she left Gidey for dead, storming to a second world record in eight days.

Gidey clocked 14:07.94 to finish second, while her compatriot Ejgayehu Taye finish third on 14:13.31, per Wanda Diamond League.

Kipyegon took part in the distance twice in 2015, but that was before she won the double world and Olympic gold medalist.

Kipyegon breaks 1500m world record

At the Florence Diamond League meet, Kipyegon smashed the 1500 meters world record and ran a time of 3:49:11. Etiopia's Genzebe Dibaba set the record of 3:50.07 since 2015.

Kipyegon came close to breaking the world record in Monaco last year, only to miss it by a few microseconds.

Kipyegon reacts to breaking 1500m record

Sports Brief earlier reported on Kipyegon reacting after shattering the 1500m world record in Florence last week.

She clocked 3:49:11, adding another milestone to her long list of accolades.

"I'm so excited. I'm so happy. It was in my mind and heart, I was still looking forward to the world record, and I thank God I made it today," she said.

Athletics legends Eliud Kiphoge, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Allyson Felix led other sports stars in lauding the Kenyan star after her astonishing achievement.

Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.