Faith Chepng’etich steps up preps for major races
Kenya's Faith Kipyengon reacts after winning the 1500m women final at the Diamond League track and field meeting at Hayward Field, Eugene, OR, on May 28, 2022.
What you need to know:
- During the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that were held last year, Chepng’etich defended her 1,500m title that she had previously won at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
- In the 3,000m steeplechase, another top Kenyan athlete, Celliphine Chespol, will be seeking to qualify for the world championships.
Two-time Olympic 1,500 metres champion Faith Chepng’etich will on Monday compete in the 800m race at the FBK Games in Hengelo, the Netherlands.
She will battle it out with the world champion over the distance, Ugandan Halima Nakayi.
Chepng’etich said that she will be using the race to improve her speed in preparation for the World Athletics Championships that will be held in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America on July 15-24.
The world 1,500m silver medallist finished second behind Burundi’s Francine Niyonsoba in the 3,000m race at the Doha Diamond League on May 13.
And at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League held on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon, Chepng’etich ran a world-lead time of three minutes, 52.59 seconds (3:52.59) to win the 1,500m race.
“Competing in the 800m race is part of my training. I will be testing my speed as I prepare for the world championships in July. Speed is critical for a podium finish,” she told Nation Sport.
Chepng’etich will be looking to reclaim the world 1,500m title that she won during the 2017 edition held in London, but which she surrendered to Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in Doha in 2019.
During the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that were held last year, Chepng’etich defended her 1,500m title that she had previously won at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
In the 3,000m steeplechase, another top Kenyan athlete, Celliphine Chespol, will be seeking to qualify for the world championships.
The 2018 World Athletics Under-20 Championships winner in Tampere, Finland will be competing against Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai from Uganda, who will be participating in her fifth event this year.
During last week’s Prefontaine Classic, Eugene Diamond League, Chespol finished fifth in her specialty.
Kenyan-born Kazakhstani athlete Norah Jeruto won the race and another Kenyan-born Bahraini runner Winfred Yavi was second.
Chespol said that her season has started slowly, but she is getting back into shape. She said that the races she has participated in have helped her improve her performance.
“It has been a journey for me, but I’m happy that my training has been good. I have registered mixed results. I am looking forward to joining the national team for the World Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games,” said Chespol, who has held the junior record for five years since 2017 when she clocked 8:58.78.
The event will also see Ethiopian athletes compete in the 10,000m where a national team is expected to be selected for the July World Athletics Championships.
