Millions Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet received from government for breaking records
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 08.07.25. | 19:52
For clocking 3:48.68, Kipyegon not only broke her own record by 0.36 seconds set in Paris in 2024 but also became the first woman to break past the 3:49 barrier in the event
Kenyan living legends Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet have been awarded millions of shillings by the Government of Kenya (GoK) after breaking world records.
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In a race held on Saturday, 5 July at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA, Kipyegon clocked 3:48.68 to break the 1500m world record.
On her part, Chebet shattered the 5000m world record in the same championship on Saturday, 5 July, after clocking 13:58.06 to break Gudaf Tsegay's record set back in 2023.
In a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports and presided over by the Cabinet Secretary, Salim Mvurya, Kipyegon and Chebet were awarded Ksh5 million each for breaking the world record in their respective races.
The total amount of Ksh10 million was courtesy of the Sports Arts and Social Development Fund, under which the financial award scheme for sports personalities lies.
For clocking 3:48.68, Kipyegon not only broke her own record by 0.36 seconds set in Paris in 2024 but also became the first woman to break past the 3:49 barrier in the event.
Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji came in second in 3:51.44 while Olympic silver medalist Jessica Hull came third in 3:52.67 and Olympic bronze medalist Georgia Hunter Bell closed the top four in 3:54.76.
As for Chebet, she shook off a spirited challenge by Gudaf Tsegay, whose record she broke and Agnes Jebet Ngetich to win the race and take 2.15 seconds off the Ethiopian's record.
Chebet, who was running in the same venue of her world 10,000m record in 2024, passed the 3000m mark in 8:23.96, 1.04 seconds inside the pace required to run a sub-14-minute and went on to create history as the first woman to cover 5000m inside 14 minutes.
After the race, Chebet revealed that she used Kipyegon's motivation to challenge herself.
“I'm so happy to become the first woman to run under 14 minutes. After Rome, I knew that I was capable of running a World Record. I told myself, ‘If Faith is trying for a World Record in Eugene, why not me?’” said Chebet as quoted by World Athletics.
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