Beatrice Chebet smashes 5km world record in final race of 2024

Beatrice Chebet obliterated her own 5km world record at the Cursa dels Nassos road race in Barcelona exactly a year after setting it at the same event. The Kenyan runner closes 2024 on a high after winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics earlier.

Chebet first broke the record at the 2023 Cursa dels Nassos, clocking 14 minutes and 13 seconds to break the previous women-only world record of 14:29 set by Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi in 2021. It was also faster than the women's 5km road world record of 14:19 set in a mixed race.

The 24-year-old has now shattered the record, taking off an astonishing 19 seconds from the previous. She became the first woman in history to break the 14-minute barrier over the 5k, clocking an unofficial 13:54. Ethiopia's Medina Eisa Kumanda finished second in 14:23 while Uganda's Belinda Chemutai came home third in 14:36.

It marks the end of a record-breaking year for Chebet, who won two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She clocked 30:43.25 for the 10,000m title and 14:28.56 for the 5000m title in Paris, becoming the only third woman in history to win both events at the same edition of the Olympics.

Earlier before the Olympic Games, Chebet broke the 10,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic. She clocked 28:54.14 to break Letesenbet Gidey's 10,000 record of 29:01.03, becoming the first woman in history to break the 29-minute barrier over the event.

Chebet also won the Diamond League title in 5000m during the 2024 season, her second after winning it for the first time in 2024.

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How much prize money did Beatrice Chebet earn in 2024?

Wanda Diamond League 2024 - Beatrice Chebet in action- Source: Getty

Beatrice Chebet received a whopping $100k from World Athletics for her two gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also received over $46k from the Kenyan government for her Olympic success.

For her 10,000m world record run at the Prefontaine Classic, she earned $10k. While the 24-year-old wasn't eligible for the $50k Diamond League bonus due to the race not being part of the roster and just a promotional event, she received a $43k bonus from Kenya Athletics for the world record.

Chebet's 5000m Diamond League title earned her $30k, totaling her prize money to a whopping $229k. It arguably makes her one of the highest-earning athletes of 2024.