Beatrice Chebet of Kenya set a world record in the 10,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic meet Saturday, finishing in 28 minutes, 54.14 seconds.
Chebet bested the previous record of 29:01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on June 8, 2021.
“I just want to thank my management, my coach and everyone at home for their great support,” Chebet said. “I did very well because I saw my body was responding well.”
Chebet, who was running the 10,000 for the first time since 2020, started to pull away with three laps to go then poured herself into the final lap.
She finished ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who finished in 29:05.92 in cloudy and cool temperatures at Eugene’s Hayward Field. Kenya’s Lilian Kasait Rengeruk took third in 29:26.89.
The win qualified Chebet to compete in the 10,000 meters at this year’s Paris Olympics. She said Saturday that she hopes to double in the 5,000 and 10,000.
“But my target is to run 5,000 first, then 10,000 comes second,” she said. “Because this is my first 10,000 outside the country to run, and I’m so happy to run 28, a world record.”
The 24-year-old Chebet won the silver medal in the 5,000 meters at the world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. She won the bronze in the event at the world’s last year in Budapest.
The Prefontaine Classic is the lone American stop on the international Diamond League series.
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