BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Kenya’s athlete Faith Kipyegon has proven her worth as one of the greatest athletes of all time when she claimed a fourth 1,500 metres world title on Tuesday to go with her three Olympic golds and world record in the event.
Kipyegon delivered a gun-to-tape run that destroyed the field as she came home clear in 3 minutes 52.15 seconds.
Fellow teammate, Dorcus Ewoi ran a personal best 3:54.92 for silver while Jessica Hull won Australia’s first medal in the event when she just held on for bronze in 3:55.16.
Kipyegon now matches Hicham El Guerrouj (1997-2003) by claiming four world 1,500m golds and she will also go for a second world 5,000m title later this week.
“Being able to defend my title and to win a fourth gold feels really special,” Kipyegon said.
“After setting the world record in Eugene (in July), I said to myself, ‘I have to go to Tokyo and defend my title.’ I knew I could run it under control.
“I won here in the 2021 Olympics just after becoming a mother, so being back here, winning again, means I can show a new gold medal to my daughter.”
31-year-old Kipyegona set her stall out from the start on Tuesday, setting an early pace that strung out the busier-than-usual field after extra athletes were reinstated following semi-final falls.
“I knew after hitting 62 seconds for 400 that I couldn’t slip back and I wanted to just keep on pushing and pushing,” she said.
“To see my teammates being on the board here is so special because I knew the three of us, we can do magic because winning a gold medal, silver and bronze was possible.”
