By Timothy Kiptoo
Kenya’s three-time 1,500m Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon says a strong bond and mutual respect among her competitors have played a crucial role in shaping her into one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time.
In a message shared on her Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) social handles, Friday night, Kipyegon said the spirit of sisterhood helped her and her rivals, Laura Muir, Georgia Bell and Jessica Hull, break barriers and do fast times on the track.
“We push each other to fast times, and it really helps us to improve every year. Despite what we do in sports, we have to love each other no matter what. We are competitors, but at the same time, we can still do fast times," said Kipyegon.
Kipyegon’s dominance is not only in medals but also in records. Her performances are said to have inspired her fellow runners to improve their personal bests. She’s often embraced by rivals at the finish line.
Athletics Kenya’s Director of Youth Development, Barnaba Korir, has backed the reigning champion to succeed.
“She is a special talent. If anyone can break that barrier, it’s Faith. She’s shown time and again that she thrives on chasing history,” Korir said.
Accomplishments
According to the Olympics, Faith came from a family where her father was a 400 m and 800 m runner. Her sister was also a 10km and a half marathon specialist. She started her career at the age of 15, running bare feet in the school competitions.
In 2011 and 2013, she won the World Cross Country Junior race in Bydgoszcz. She also won at the 1500 m World U18 championships in 2011 and the 1500 m World U20 Championship in 2012.
In 2013, she finished in fifth place in her senior debut at the World Championships. She also won in 2017 and 2022 at the world podium. In 2016, she won a gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
In 2023, Kipyego broke the world record three times in over 50 days. She ran 3:49.11 in early June 2023 in Florence, Italy and was named the first woman to run under 3:50 in Italy. After a week, she reportedly broke the women's world mile record, chopping more than four seconds from the mark.
She won a gold medal in the 1500 m and 5000 m at the biennial world championships, and world gold medals. Kipyego became the first woman to hold this record in these particular championships and was the World Female Track Athlete of the Year.
Next month, Kipyegon will make more history. She will attempt to become the first woman to run a mile under four minutes on June 26 in Paris. She already holds the current world record for the mile, 4:07.64, set in Monaco last year.
