World Record Ratification Huge Confidence Boost As Beatrice Chebet Chases Historic Double in Tokyo

Beatrice Chebet heads into the World Championships in Tokyo full of confidence after her world record ratification.

World Athletics has officially ratified the world records set by double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet, Mykolas Alekna, and Mondo Duplantis, three stars expected to shine at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The ratification of the records comes as a confidence booster to the athletes, who will be chasing history in Tokyo.

Beatrice Chebet will be looking forward to winning her first gold medal at the World Championships, after winning silver and bronze in the 5000m, competing in 2022 in Eugene and 2023 in Budapest, respectively.

Beatrice Chebet was in a class of her own as she shattered the women’s 10,000m world record at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene on May 25.

The Kenyan star clocked an incredible 28:54.14, becoming the first woman ever to break the 29-minute barrier. Her performance obliterated the previous record of 29:01.03, set by Letesenbet Gidey in 2021.

Beatrice Chebet ran a blistering race, passing the 5000m mark in 14:33.4, well ahead of world record pace. She maintained her momentum through the second half, finishing with a remarkable final lap of 63.1 seconds.

“I’m so happy to be the first woman to run under 29 minutes,” she said. “After Valencia (where she set the world 5km record), I knew that I was capable of running a world record.”

Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna returned to the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona, the same event where he first broke the world record last year.

On April 14, the Olympic silver medallist surpassed the long-standing mark of 74.08m set by Jürgen Schult in 1986.

Alekna first threw 74.35m in the fifth round to break the record, then improved his own mark with a final throw of 74.41m. Both have now been ratified.

The competition was historically deep, with four other athletes also throwing beyond 70 metres. Australia’s Matt Denny nearly broke the old record himself with a throw of 74.15m.

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis raised his own pole vault world record for the eighth time, clearing 6.25m at the Wanda Diamond League season opener in Xiamen on April 20.

The Swedish superstar, who won the 2023 World Championships, added one centimetre to his previous world record of 6.24m, which he set at the Diamond League Final in Eugene last September. He cleared the new height on his first attempt.

With their records now official, all three athletes will turn their focus to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, scheduled for September 13-21, where they will aim to add more global titles to their impressive careers.