Faith Kipyegon of Kenya had no aspirations of breaking the world record in the 5,000 meters, a distance she hadn’t competed in for eight years, but she managed to surprise herself. This came a week after she broke the record in the women’s 1,500 meters.
At the Paris Diamond League on Friday, the 29-year-old put on an incredible display to break the world 5,000 mark, defeating Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey for the record.
With roughly 700 meters left, Kipyegon passed Gidey and crossed the finish line in 14 minutes, 5.20 seconds. After seeing her time, Kipyegon covered her face in shock before collapsing in a happy heap and hugging Gidey.
The two-time Olympic and world champion in the 1,500-meter event had not even considered breaking the previous mark.
Kipyegon confessed, “I have no idea how I survived.” “I just tried to stay calm and enjoy the race while concentrating on the green light. I only completed the race out of curiosity, therefore I was shocked to see that it set a world record.”
