A brilliant battle between world record-holders in Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia ended in the sixth and seventh-fastest 5000m performances of all time. Aregawi blazed to a 12:40.45 finish – beating Cheptegei at the Lausanne’s Athletissima meeting of the Diamond League on Friday.
Ethiopia’s Aregawi had already made history over the distance on the roads, running a world 5km record of 12:49 in Barcelona in 2021, but he was up against a stacked field in the sixth Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season, one that featured Uganda’s Cheptegei, who set the world 5000m record of 12:35.36 in Monaco in 2020.
Now only Cheptegei, Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie and Daniel Komen remain above Aregawi on the all-time list for the 5000m on the track and given the way he ran, there looks like there could be even more to come from the 22-year-old.
The pace lights at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise were set to target the meeting record of 12:55.23 and that’s the way the race began, with the field following the pacemaker through 2000m in 5:09.49. But as they ticked off the laps, the tempo picked up and Aregawi led through 3000m in 7:41.50, leaving the lights behind. He also began to leave his rivals behind as 4000m was reached in 10:13.79 and later he only had Cheptegei for company.
Cheptegei wasn’t giving up and was still challenging for the win off the final bend, but Aregawi remained full of running and kicked away to cross the finish line a second clear, with Cheptegei chasing him home in 12:41.61 – the seventh-quickest 5000m in history and his own fastest time since setting the world record.
Hagos Gebrhiwet won the fight for third place, piping his Ethiopian compatriot Telahun Haile Bekele by just 0.01 – 12:49.80 to 12:49.81.
“I am delighted to be here and to win against Joshua,” said Aregawi. “It was a great atmosphere. Thank you, Lausanne.”
Cheptegei was also pleased with his own progress. “My goal is to get back to the form I was in before – getting faster race by race – and tonight is the proof of that,” he said. “I still have a lot to improve on, a lot to work on, but if I believe in myself, I will reach my objectives.”
