Chebet shines, Cheruiyot bounces back as Omanyala battles in Rome Diamond League
Kenyan athletes delivered a night to remember in Rome, with Beatrice Chebet smashing records in the women’s 5000m and leading a series of strong performances at the fifth leg of the 2025 Diamond League.
Kenya’s finest athletes lit up the Eternal City of Rome on Friday night, delivering standout performances at the fifth leg of the 2025 Diamond League series, with Beatrice Chebet stealing the show in historic fashion.
Beatrice Chebet proved once again why she is in a class of her own. The double Olympic champion stormed to a dominant win in the women’s 5000m, clocking an astonishing 14:03.69, a time that not only obliterated the Kenyan national record previously held by Faith Kipyegon (14:05.20) but also became the world lead, meet record and second-fastest time ever over the distance.
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Chebet dropped the hammer in the final laps, unleashing a scorching 66-second lap that blew away the field. Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu settled for second in a personal best of 14:19.33, while Italian star Nadia Battocletti thrilled the home crowd with a national record of 14:23.15.
Only two weeks earlier, Chebet had narrowly missed the world 3000m record in Rabat, clocking 8:11.56 and her latest triumph further cements her status as a leading contender for the World Championships in Tokyo.
Timothy Cheruiyot’s resilience was on full display as the 2019 world champion clawed back from a difficult start to the season to finish second in the men's 1500m with a season-best of 3:29.75. He was edged out at the line by France’s Azzedine Habz, who won in 3:29.72 the fastest outdoor time in the world this year.
Moroccan Anass Essayi came third in a personal best of 3:30.74. Other Kenyan hopefuls struggled, with 2022 World U20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot finishing sixth (3:30.94) and African Games winner Brian Komen eighth (3:31.14), both clocking season bests.
The performance was a welcome turnaround for Cheruiyot, who had placed eighth in the 800m at the Grand Slam Track Series in Miami last month with a time of 1:47.12.
African sprint king Ferdinand Omanyala finished third in a fiercely contested 100m final. The Kenyan clocked 10.01 seconds, coming behind USA’s Trayvon Bromell, who surged to a world lead of 9.84 seconds, and Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme, who posted 9.99 seconds.
Bromell’s time was his fastest since the 2022 U.S. Championships and signaled his resurgence on the global sprint scene.
Despite missing out on the top spot, Omanyala's form remains consistent ahead of the upcoming major championships, with his Rome time among his season’s best.
Kenya’s Susan Ejore also posted a solid run in the women’s 1500m, finishing fifth in a season-best 3:59.73, showing promise as she builds up to the championship season.
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