On Saturday, July 5, 2025, three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon won the women’s 1500m at the Prefontaine Classic, part of the Eugene Diamond League held in Oregon, USA. She set a new world record with a time of 3:48.68.
In the race, Kipyegon defeated Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, who finished second, and Australia’s Jessica Hull, who placed third. Other notable competitors included Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji and Great Britain’s Laura Muir.
This historic performance came just nine days after she fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile in Paris. She completed the race in 4:06.42, making it the fastest mile ever run by a woman, although it did not break the barrier.
The 2025 Diamond League offers substantial prize money depending on the type of event. In regular Diamond Discipline races, the winner takes home $10,000, with second to eighth place earning between $6,000 and $1,000. Athletes placing ninth or lower receive $500.
Faith Kipyegon Breaks World Record
Diamond+ events—high-profile races featured in select meets—offer even greater rewards. First place earns $20,000, with lower positions receiving between $10,000 and $1,500. Athletes ranked ninth or lower still walk away with $750.
Also Read: Faith Kipyegon Fails to Break 4-Minutes Mile
The biggest payouts come in the Diamond League Final held in Zürich. Winners of regular events earn $30,000, while Diamond+ event winners receive $50,000. In addition, any athlete who breaks a world record in any category is awarded a $50,000 bonus.
Overall, the Diamond League will distribute $9.24 million in prize money in 2025.
1500 Meters Champion to Take Home Ksh 7.8 Milion
In Faith Kipyegon’s case, she ran a regular Diamond Discipline race. For winning the event, she earned $10,000, and for breaking the world record, she received an additional $50,000, bringing her total earnings from the race to $60,000 (approximately KSh 7.8 million).
Kipyegon has made history multiple times by breaking some of the most prestigious records in middle- and long-distance running. Her first major world record came on June 2, 2023, at the Florence Diamond League, where she ran the 1500m in 3:49.11, surpassing Genzebe Dibaba’s previous mark.
Also Read: Millions That Await Faith Kipyegon in the Sub-Four-Minute Mile Run
Just a week later, on June 9, 2023, she set a new 5000m world record in Paris with a time of 14:05.20, beating Letesenbet Gidey’s time. On July 21, 2023, she continued her dominance at the Monaco Diamond League by breaking the mile world record, clocking 4:07.64 and cutting nearly five seconds off Sifan Hassan’s record.
In 2024, she returned to Paris and lowered her own 1500m world record to 3:49.04.
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