World’s best eye 5000m world record in Oslo

Image: Thomas Windestam, courtesy of Wanda Diamond League

The world’s best male 5000m runners will assemble at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo on June 12 as they continue their quest to break the world record for the first time in five years.

Ethiopia stars Hagos Gebrhiwet, Yomif Kejelcha, Berihu Aregawi and Telahun will be joined by Kenyan rivals Jacob Krop and Nicolas Kipkorir at the Bislett Games in a field which includes eight of the top 20 ranked 5000m runners in the world.

As well as valuable Diamond League points, they will all have their eyes on Joshua Cheptegei’s world record of 12:35.36, set at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco back in 2020.

The record has teetered a few times in recent years, most notably at last season’s Diamond League meeting in Oslo, when Gebrhiwet missed the mark by just over a second.

Fans at the Bislett Games will be hoping Gebrhiwet and his colleagues can go one better this year and notch up the Bislett Stadium’s 72nd world record.

Aregawi currently leads the Diamond League standings alongside Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot. The Ethiopian clocked a meeting record of 12:50.45 to win in Keqiao while Cheruiyot took victory with a PB of 13:16.40 in Doha.