Chebet and Kimeli earn spots to 2023 Budapest worlds

Beatrice Chebet of Kenya celebrates after winning the 5000m Women during the city event of the Weltklasse IAAF Diamond League international athletics meeting at Sechselaeutenplatz in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet might have finished second behind Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay in the world 5000m final in Oregon, but she turned the tables in Zurich, winning a four-way sprint to take her first Diamond Trophy at the Diamond League meeting in Swiss city on Wednesday night.

Diamond trophy winners earn automatic slots to the 2023 World Athletics Championships set for Budapest, Hungary, on August 19-27 next year.

Always in contention, the 22-year-old Chebet, who won Commonwealth Games gold after her world silver, couldn't be challenged as she surged ahead down the home straight of the temporary track in front of the Zurich Opera House, holding off Kenya's world 10,000m bronze medallist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, Tsegay and Ethiopia's world 5km record-holder Ejgayehu Taye.

The lead group had followed the pacemaker through the first 1000m in 2:50.35 before Tsegay led through 2000m in 5:47.08.

Like his compatriot Chebet, Nicholas Kimeli also timed his finishing kick to perfection, edging ahead in the closing stages to win the men's 5000m in 12:59.05, just 0.35 ahead of South Sudan's Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, with USA's Grant Fisher third in 13:00.56.

As the daylight began to fade and rain started to fall, the pacemaker took the leaders through 1000m in 2:35.15 and 2000m in 5:11.35.

Ethiopia's Selemon Barega then took over at the front to lead through 3000m in 7:46.14, before Ethiopia's defending champion and world 5km record-holder Berihu Aregawi moved to the fore, going through 4000m in 10:23.11. But Aregawi couldn't hold on and as the pace dipped and Kipkorir, Lobalu and Fisher strode away.