Xiamen DL: Beatrice Chebet kicks off track season with victory

Double Paris Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet kicked off her Diamond League season on a high after winning the women’s 5000m race in Xiamen, China on Saturday, 26 April.

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Chebet, who was coming up against 13 Ethiopians in her first track race this year, put on her now-familiar afterburners halfway through the final lap, to leave the rest of the field in her wake, sprinting to a world leading time of 14:27.12.

Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay came home second clocking a season-best 14:28.18, with Birke Haylom completing the podium by timing 14:28.80.

Billed as a contest between global champions Chebet and Tsegay, it was the Kenyan who shone, repeating her Paris Olympics to again outclass her Ethiopian opponent, who put up a fight to the final 200m.

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25-year-old Chebet put herself in position to grab a season-opening win from the gun, staying within the leading trio of Hirut Meshesha, Haylom and Tsegay.

The lead group hit the first 3000m in a time of 8:38, meaning that they were still within Josette Andrews world lead time of 14:44.80, but outside a world record attempt.

The slow-burner race then had the group clock 11:41 at the 4km mark, signifying a battle to the tape.

Still congested at the bell, Chebet, running in third place, unleashed her phenomenal kick to get past Haylom and Tsegay at the penultimate bend, coasting to victory at the end to extend her head-to-head over the latter to 5-2.

Chebet's winning time was recorded as a meeting record, given it was the first time Xiamen was hosting a 5000m women's race.

The other Kenyan in the race - Caroline Nyaga - was a distant eighth, clocking a season-best 14:33.24.

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