Alicia Monson breaks American 5,000m record at London Diamond League

U.S. distance runner Alicia Monson continues to break records this season. On Sunday afternoon, Monson smashed the American 5,000m record with an incredible 14:19.45 clocking at London Diamond League. Her time stands as the fastest 5,000m time in North American history. 

Monson finished fifth in a stacked 5,000m field behind the reigning world champion Gudaf Tsegay, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, world XC champion Beatrice Chebet and young Ethiopian phenom Medina Eisa, who ran a U20 world record of 14:16.54 to finish fourth. Monson held on with the lead group of five women until 600m to go, but a strong surge with 200m to go solidified the record, and she broke Shelby Houlihan’s mark of 14:23.92 from 2020 by four and half seconds.

This North American 5,000m record is Monson’s third area record of her career and the third of her 2023 season. At the 2023 Millrose Games in February, Monson set the 3,000m record indoors, running 8:25.05. Three weeks later, at the Sound Running 10,000m, Monson smashed Molly Huddle’s North American 10,000m record of 30:13.17 set in 2016 with a time of 30:03.82.

This meet marked the return of two titans, Hassan and Tsegay, who both opened their outdoor seasons at this distance. The race did not disappoint, with Hassan leading from 3,000m onwards into the final lap. However, as Hassan began to surge, she could not hold off the middle-distance speed of Tsegay, who ran a blistering 60-second final lap to take the win in a meeting record and personal best time of 14:12.29. Kenya’s Chebet managed to dip ahead of Hassan at the finish line, securing second place in 14:12.92. Hassan took third in her track return post-London Marathon victory, achieving a personal best and European record of 14:13.42.

Tsegay’s winning time is the fifth-fastest 5,000m in history, but only the third-fastest time this year behind Faith Kipyegon’s world record of 14:05.20 from the Paris Diamond League in June.

A 5000m for the ages 🤯

Gudaf Tsegay 🇪🇹 smashes the meeting record with 14:12.29.@SifanHassan 🇳🇱 breaks the European record with 14:13.42.

Medina Eisa 🇪🇹 breaks the world U20 record with 14:16.54.

Alicia Monson 🇺🇸 breaks the North American record with 14:19.45

📸 Ed Hall pic.twitter.com/a6FcUmLV1r

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) July 23, 2023

We are 26 days away from the start of the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, and the women’s 5,000m could perhaps be the race of the championships, with the incredible depth of the field.

With the Canadian Track and Field Championships next weekend in Langley, B.C., many of our national team athletes were absent from Diamond League action in Monaco and London. Pole vaulter Alysha Newman was the sole Canadian athlete competing in London. She finished ninth, with one clearance of 4.36m, bowing out after three attempts at 4.51m.

For full results from the London Diamond League, check here.