Two-time Olympic Champion Faith Kipyegon reclaimed her 1500m champ title at the World Athletics Championship on Tuesday, July 19, handing Kenya its first gold at the competition.
Kipyegon clocked a winning time of 3min 52.96sec.
Moreover, the 1500m Olympic champion who had previously won world gold over the distance in 2017 along with two silvers from 2015 and 2019, dominated the race from start to finish.
While speaking after her victory, Kipyegon stated that; “I am so glad to have reclaimed the title today because I really had to work hard for it. The competition was tight, but I had prepared well for the battle.”
Similarly, the two-time Olympic winner had lost her tittle during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships to Dutch Sifan Hassan.
In addition, the only other time she lost the title was at the Diamond League meeting in Florence in 2021.
Nonetheless, Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia came second in 3:54.52, while Britain’s Laura Muir claimed bronze (3:55.28).
However, Kipyegon admitted that she felt pressured to measure up to the pre-race favorite tag.
“To say the truth, I had a lot of pressure. Everybody was expecting me to win and they were saying that they believe in me. Thank God I won and was able to prove that I am strong,” she stated.
Likewise, Winny Chebet took the 13th position after clocking 4:15.13.
Moreover, during the start of the season, Kipyegon finished second place in the 3,000m during the Doha Diamond League series. However, at the time, she said that she was using the event for buildup and endurance.
Nevertheless, her victory today in Oregon made it a fourth global outdoor championships gold.
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Furthermore, she is the only Kenyan woman to have won the world title in the metric mile race and the second Kenyan to have won the Olympic title besides Jebet Lagat in 2008 Beijing.
