Faith Kipyegon, the three-time Olympic 1500m champion, showcased her dominance once again in the Diamond League event in Rome on Friday, August 30.
Making her first appearance since clinching her third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024, Kipyegon raced to victory with an impressive time of 3:52.89.
The 30-year-old athlete took to the track in only her second Diamond League meeting of the year, following her record-breaking run at the Paris meeting, where she set a global mark of 3:49.04 ahead of the Olympics.
She ran 3:49.11 in Florence in June 2023 to become the first woman to run under 3:50, lowering the record of 3:50.07 set by Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba.
Less than a week later, Faith Kipyegon shattered the 5,000m world record at the Diamond League event in Paris, France, with a time of 14:05.20 (the record has since been broken by another Ethiopian, Gudaf Tsegay, with a time of 14:00.21).
Faith Kipyegon to Receive Ksh 1.2M
Kipyegon not only secured qualification for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 13-14 but also took home millions.
This means that for her outstanding achievement, Kipyegon is guaranteed to receive at least $10,000 (Ksh1,291,200) from the race organizers for winning the1500m in the series meetings.
The Wanda Diamond League is athletics’ premier one-day series where athletes compete for points at 14 series meetings from April to September, with the most successful in each discipline qualifying for the League’s Final in Eugene (September 13th-14th).
Also Read: Kipchoge Reveals Next Move After Missing Out on Paris Olympic Podium
At each of the 14 series meetings (6 men’s and 8 women’s), athletes are awarded 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 points for ranking 1st to 8th respectively.
The top six in the field events, top eight for 100m-800m and the top ten for 1500m and long-distance events will qualify for the Final.
In the case of a tie, the athlete with the best legal performance of the season is ranked higher.
Each event during the series earns competitors prize money, with additional winnings and a Diamond trophy for the annual Diamond League Final.
Prize Money for Winners in Series Meeting
The prize pool totals to $25,000 (Ksh3,228,000), with the winner receiving $10,000 (Ksh1,291,200), the second-place finisher earning $6,000 (Ksh772,720), and the third-place finisher taking home $3,500 (Ksh451,920).
Furthermore, cash rewards extend to eighth place, with the eighth-place finisher receiving $500 (Ksh64,560).
Also Read: Beatrice Chebet, Kipyegon & Wanyonyi Take Millions Home as Ruto Awards Olympic Medalists
There are also rewards for 9th-12th place finishers in distance races and ninth-lane runners in sprints.
In addition to these prizes, there’s a larger reward of $50,000 (Ksh6,456,000), the minimum bonus awarded for breaking a world record.
All 32 Diamond League Champions (one man and one woman in each of the 16 disciplines) are crowned over two days of athletics action at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels.
Final Winners of Wanda Diamond League
Each champion is awarded a prestigious “Diamond Trophy”, and US$ 30,000 (Ksh.3, 873,600) prize money and a wild card for the World Athletics Championships (certain conditions apply).
The second-place winner receives $12,000, third winner takes home $7,000, and the fourth-place contestant is awarded $4,000.
Additionally, the fifth-place winner receives $2,500, sixth place earns $2,000, the seventh place gets $1,500, and the eighth-place winner receives $1,000.
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