Zurich Diamond League: Chebet and Moraa shine with record-setting performances

The Zurich Diamond League saw two remarkable performances from Kenyan athletes on Thursday, as Beatrice Chebet and Mary Moraa both delivered stunning victories in their respective events.

Double Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Beatrice Chebet made her first track appearance since her triumphs at the Olympic Games. She dominated the women's 5000m race, finishing with a world-leading and meeting record time of 14:09.52. Chebet's time eclipsed the previous world lead of 14:18.76, held by Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama in Eugene. Her performance also surpassed the meeting record of 14:30.10 set by Vivian Cheruiyot in 2011.

Congratulations to our champions Beatrice Chebet, Mary Moraa, and Jacob Krop on your victories in the 5000m, 800m, and 3000m races respectively at the Zurich Diamond League! Kudos, too, to Cornelius Kemboi for your 2nd place finish in 3000m.

These stellar performances cement… pic.twitter.com/IOHUN79UyP

— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) September 5, 2024

The race began with high hopes for a world record, aided by pacemakers Katie Snowden and Georgia Griffith. Chebet kept pace with Gudaf Tsegay's world record time of 14:00.21 until Griffith dropped out with seven laps remaining. Despite a slight slowdown, Chebet maintained her lead and finished strong. Ethiopia's Taye Ejgayehu took second place with a time of 14:28.76, while Gebreselama finished third in 14:39.05. Kenya's Margaret Akidor came in tenth, clocking 14:55.67.

Just days after breaking the world 600m record, Mary Moraa secured victory in the women's 800m race at the same meet. The 2023 World Champion faced challenging weather conditions but managed to win with a time of 1:57.08, marking her third Diamond League win this season after earlier victories in Doha and Lausanne.

Moraa's race had an early scare when Vincetian runner Shafiqua Maloney surged ahead with a fast start, completing the first 400m in 55.60 seconds. With 300m remaining, Moraa fell to third behind American Addison Wiley. However, she showcased her trademark kick on the final bend, pulling away from the competition. Georgia Bell finished second with a time of 1:57.94, while Wiley took third in 1:58.16.