(Paris) Kenyan Faith Kipyegon broke the world record for the 5000m on Friday at the Paris Diamond League meeting, a week after erasing the 1500m.
In 14 min 05 sec 20, Kipyegon (29) improved the mark of the Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey (14: 0662 in 2020), second in the race on Friday evening (14: 0794).
Training partner of marathon king Eliud Kipchoge, Kipyegon has just achieved the feat of breaking two records in two different disciplines in one week, after clocking 3 min 49 sec 11 last Friday in Florence over 1500m.
Double Olympic champion and double world champion in the 1500m, her specialty for several years, Kipyegon had not finished 5000m for eight years, and had never done better than 14 min 31 sec 95.
The smiling cross-country skier collapsed after the line, remaining seated for a long time to recover, after being carried by the warm public of the Charléty stadium, filled one year before the Paris Olympic Games (athletics will take place at the Stade de France).
Aided by the pacemakers and the ‘wavelight’, a light technology that set the pace for the trackside record, Gidey and Kipyegon soared to battle for victory, Kipyegon taking the upper hand with a supersonic final lap. .