Records fall just as event advertised

VALENCIA • Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei smashed the men's 10,000m world record and Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey demolished the women's 5,000m mark as the Valencia World Record Day event lived up to its name on Wednesday.

Cheptegei crossed the line at a near-empty Turia stadium in a stunning 26min 11.02sec to beat the time of 26:17:53 set in 2005 by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele by over six seconds.

"It was my dream. We are trying to write history on the track and make people to know that track is still exciting," the 24-year-old told the Olympic Channel afterwards.

When asked if his feat meant that he has now "achieved greatness" in athletics, he added: "I think this is just the foundation of what I want to achieve in years to come."

The achievement capped an outstanding 12 months for Cheptegei, who won the gold medal in the 10,000m at last year's World Championships in Doha, and in August, took Bekele's 5,000m record at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco.

Last December, also in Valencia, he smashed a decade-long record in 10km road racing by six seconds, before claiming the world 5km road record in Monaco in February.

Cheptegei becomes only the 10th athlete to concurrently hold the 5,000m and 10,000m world records.

Only 400 people, including sponsors, journalists and staff, were allowed into the event due to strict coronavirus measures in Spain. But Cheptegei still savoured the moment with a lap of honour, wrapped in the Uganda flag and wearing a crown.

His outstanding display finished off a perfect event from the organisers' point of view after Gidey, 22, broke the women's 5,000m world record by more than four seconds, crossing the line in 14:06.62.

She easily beat the previous record of 14:11.15 set by her compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba in Oslo in 2008. "This is a long-time dream for me, I'm very happy, this is very big for me," said Gidey, who started her career in 2014.

"I dreamt about this record for six years. I want to thank Valencia for giving me this chance."

The event was organised by Cheptegei's NN Running Team of the Netherlands, and he and Gidey were helped to the finish line by pacers as well as Wavelight technology, which flashes lights on the inside of the track to indicate a specific pace. They both wore Nike's ZoomX Dragonfly spikes, which been billed as the "fastest shoes ever", en route to making history.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE