Ethiopian runner missed the world record of 5km by just 1 second
Before the race at Lille on March 19, Kejelcha's personal record (PB) ran 5km was 12 minutes 53 seconds. This parameter is also the third fastest 5km in history. After finishing in Lille, the Ethiopian runner improved PB to rise to second, just behind Berihu Aregawi - compatriot holding the record of 12 minutes 49 seconds from December 2021.
After reaching the finish line and knowing that he missed the world record by exactly one second, Kejelcha did not hide his disappointment and regret. He knelt down on the street as he received his medal and was comforted by an organizing committee employee.
Kejelcha was a two-time world champion in the 3,000m indoor distance, and set a world record for the indoor mile with an incredible 3 minutes 47 seconds 01 in Boston in 2019. Later that year, he won a silver medal. 10,000m at the world championships in Doha.
"Kejelcha has proven time and time again that he has what it takes to compete with the best short-distance runners in the world and in history, and Sunday's tournament in Lille is another proof," commented Canadian Running Magazine.
Kejelcha started the race with a group of nine other runners and followed closely. They crossed the first kilometer in 2 minutes 32 seconds and crossed the 2km mark in less than five minutes. But since then, Kejelcha has exerted effort, far ahead of the chasing group with the ambition to break the world record.
Runner Ethiopia crossed the 3 km mark in 7 minutes and 40 seconds, seven seconds more than the second, and hit the 4 km mark in 10 minutes and 16 seconds. Therefore, Kejelcha has just over two and a half minutes to finish if he wants to break Aregawi's record.
Despite the impressive effort in the last kilometer, Kejelcha could not complete the goal when finishing with 12 minutes 50 seconds. A week earlier, Aregawi had received a similar finish in the 10km race in Spain, where he was nine seconds short of the world record.
Reynolds Kipkorir Cheruiyot of Kenya finished in second with a PB time of 13 minutes 4 seconds and Kejelcha's compatriot Telahun Haile Bekele was third with 13 minutes 7 seconds.
In the women's 5 km event, Caroline Nyaga and Abebe created a two-horse race. Nyaga was only a few percent faster than Abebe, when they both finished at 14 minutes and 35 seconds.
In the other pole of Semi Marathon de Lille, Gemechu Dida won the men's 10 km with 27 minutes 12, while Dorcas Kimeli won the women's 10 km with 30 minutes 48 seconds. Patrick Mosin finished first in the half marathon with 59 minutes 31, while Emily Chebet - a two-time world cross country champion - won the women's half marathon with 67 minutes 52.
