Chepngetich narrowly misses world record in Brussels

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon celebrates after winning the women's 1000metre event during the Diamond League Athletics Meeting at The Louis II Stadium in Monaco on August 14, 2020. (Photo/ AFP)

Kenya’s Olympic 1500m champion Faith Chepngetich had to settle for another near miss as she attempted to beat the world 1000m record of 2:28.98 set on this track in 1996 by Russia’s double Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova.

Having finished just 17 hundredths of a second short at last month’s opening Diamond League meeting in Monaco, Chepngetich seemed on track to achieve her ambition with 200m remaining at the Brussels Diamond League meeting on Friday, but faltered slightly over the final few metres to cross the line in 2:29.92.

It was at the same meeting that Britain’s Mo Farah and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands set respective men’s and women’s world one-hour records*.

Britain’s multiple world and Olympic champion held off the challenge of his training partner, home athlete Bashir Abdi, to set a new mark of 21,330m – eclipsing the 2007 mark of 21,285m set by Haile Gebrselassie. Abdi finished eight metres behind.

Hassan’s record also came after a titanic battle with Kenya’s world marathon record-holder Brigid Kosgei, although it later transpired the latter had been disqualified for stepping on to the infield in the closing stages.

The 10,000m world champion, Hassan reached 18,930m as the hour elapsed, beating the existing mark of 18,517m set by Ethiopia’s Dire Tune in 2008.

Moving into the final quarter of an hour, Tune’s mark seemed certain to be bettered, given that both women were more than a minute ahead of world record pace.