Faith Kipyegon to battle Letesenbet Gidey over 5000m in Paris Diamond League

World record holders Faith Kipyegon and Letesenbet Gidey will go head-to-head for the first time in history at the Paris Diamond League meet at Charléty Stadium in Paris on Friday, June 9.

Gidey holds the 5000m world record of 14:06.62, which she set in Valencia in 2020 while Kipyegon, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the 1500m, just ran 3:49.11 to break the 1500m world record at the Florence Diamond League.

The action in Paris will be Gidey’s first track race of the season since February. She won the Ethiopian Cross-Country Championships 10K in January and then competed at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia in February.

The Etiopian was less than 100 meters away from the finish line before she started looking behind her and then fell in the closing meters of the race as Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet passed her for the win.

Gidey was assisted back on her feet and then crossed the finish line on her own but was later disqualified for the assist.

Star girl Kipyegon reveals her world record ‘secret’

At last year’s World championships on Oregon, Gidey, who has never won a Diamond League 5000m, won gold in the 10,000m and finished fifth in the 5000m.

On the other hand, this will be Kipyegon’s first 5000m since 2015. She ran her personal best of 14:31.95 in a runner-up finish at the Prefontaine Classic in May 2015 and also finished seventh at the Paris Diamond League in 14:44.51 just two months later.

Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye, who won a bronze medal in the 3000m at last year’s world indoor championships and finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, is also entered for her outdoor season opener. The 23-year-old clocked the fastest time in the world last year for 5000m when she beat Gidey with a 14:12.98 victory at the Prefontaine Classic. Kipyegon has never raced against Taye.

Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (14:27.12 PR) and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk are the other Kenyans in the field with faster personal bests than Kipyegon.

Trouble at the den as Leopards strip Mukangula,Thiong’o of captaincy roles

Laura Muir has not run an outdoor 5000m since 2017 and owns a personal best of 14:52.07. She is No. 6 on the British all-time list. Eilish McColgan owns the British record of 14:28.55 from 2021.