Golden Faith Kipyegon! Unbeatable Kenyan seals double in Budapest
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon reacts after winning the women's 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
Jewel Samad | AFP
What you need to know:
- Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who had scooped bronze in 1,500m, had to settle for silver in 14:54.11 after she failed in her pursuit to subdue the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games champion on the home straight.
- Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya, who claimed silver in Oregon last year, clocked 14:54.33 for bronze.
World’s greatest middle distance runner, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon officially scaled to track distance running when she clinched the world 5,000 metres title on Saturday in Budapest, Hungary.
Days after sealing a hat-trick after retaining her 1,500m title, Kipyegon, the two-time Olympic 1,500m champion, moved to the front before the bell, holding off the pack to win in 14 minutes and 53.88 seconds.
Kenya's gold medallist Faith Kipyegon celebrates with her national flag after the women's 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
"This has been an amazing year for me," said Kipyegon.
"Making history today, winning two gold medals in a championships is what I was dreaming for this season.
"I have been patient waiting to be able to break world records and win double golds. But my dream just came true, it is amazing."
"I have been pushing myself to the limits and I will continue to push myself in the future."
"I believed in myself. I have been consistent, focused on the finish line and on writing history."
Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who had scooped bronze in 1,500m, had to settle for silver in 14:54.11 after she failed in her pursuit to subdue the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games champion on the home straight.
Gold medalist, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (left) embraces silver medalist, Netherlands' Sifan Hassan (right) after the women's 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
"The race was not easy," said Kipyegon. "It was a tactical one but I am mentally stable and have managed to push myself."
Hassan said: "How I was able to sprint at the end I don't know. I really felt amazing on the last lap and it was only in the last 20 metres I couldn't hold on."
"Faith was stronger than me today. She's just broken world records and this year is better than me but I know where I am at."
Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya, who claimed silver in Oregon last year, clocked 14:54.33 for bronze.
Kenya's gold medallist Faith Kipyegon (right) and bronze medallist Beatrice Chebet celebrate with their national flags after the women's 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
Kipyegon became the first woman in history to sweep the 1,500m and 5,000m gold medals at one world championships.
The victory by Kipyegon, who is the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games champion, brought Kenya’s medal tally to six; two gold, two silver and two bronze on the penultimate day of the Budapest championships.
Kipyegon now joins Kenya's other greats Vivian Cheruiyot (2009, 2011) and Hellen Obiri (2017, 2019), who have won the world 5,000m title.
Kenya was lying sixth in the medal standings.
The victory by Kipyegon came hot on the heels of compatriot Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s silver medal exploits in men’s 800m.
Wanyonyi blew up his lead over Canadian Marco Arop with 300m to finish second in 1:44.53 as the Canadian, who had won bronze last year in Oregon, prevailed in 1:44.24.
Kenya’s Commonwealth Games 10,000metres silver medallist Daniel Simiu launched Kenya’s medal haul on Sunday when produced a late kick to settle for silver in men’s 10,000m in 27: 52.60 seconds.
Simiu lost the battle to Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei completed a three-peat in 27:51.42.
The Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott settled for bronze in 8: 11.98 in men’s 3,000m steeplechase on Wednesday.
Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali retained his world 3,000m steeplechase title in 8:03.53 with world record holder Lemecha Girma from Ethiopia claiming silver in 8:05.44 in a replica of last year’s world championships in Oregon, United States of America.
The victory by Kipyegon caps one of the most successful years for the 29-year-old mother of one, adding her two world titles to her three world records, two of them in June.
Two of those marks, in the women’s 1,500m and 5,000m, are now officially in the record books. Her women’s One Mile record set in Monaco on July 21, is pending ratification.
The first of Kipyegon’s world records was set at the Florence Diamond League meeting on June 2, this year.
On that occasion, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion ran 3:49.11 to break the women’s world 1,500m record of 3:50.07 that had been set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco on July 17, 2015.
Her achievement in the Metric Mile race in Florence officially cemented her legacy as the Greatest of All Time in women’s middle-distance running after adding the world record to her collection.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (centre) reacts as she crosses the finish line to win the women's 5000m final ahead of Netherlands' Sifan Hassan (left) and Kenya's Beatrice Chebet (right) during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
Just one week later, she raced at the Paris Diamond League, on June 9 and stepped up to the 5, 000m.
She later said that her original aim might was not to break the world record of 14:06.62 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia on October 7, 2020, but she still broke it, running 14:05.20 in just her third ever race over the distance.
Kipyegon clocked 4:07.64 seconds to obliterate the previous One Mile record of 4:12.33 set by Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan at the same venue in 2019.
Her journey to the top is a fairytale, having started with a sweep of the world under-18 and under-20 titles in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
After finishing fifth in 4:05.08 on her debut at the World Athletics Championships in 2013 Moscow, Kipyegon would strike silver at the 2015 Beijing world event in 4:08.96 to signal her entry to the big stage.
She would the following year become the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold since Jebet Lagat in 2008 Beijing, clocking 4:08.92 for victory during the 2016 Rio Summer Games, stunning Dibaba, who settled for silver.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon reacts after winning the women's 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
Kipyegon took a maternity break to deliver a bouncing daughter Alyen. She is married to Timothy Kitum, the 2012 London Olympic Games 800m bronze medallist.
She then returned to settle for silver in a National Record time of 3:54.22 despite losing the world title to Hassan, who also chalked an Area Record and Championship Record of 3:51.95 at the 2019 Doha World Championships.
The Kenyan never let her foot off the gas pedal to retain her Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021 in an Olympic Record of 3:53.11.
Then her performance at the world championships in Oregon would cement her place in the history of the women’s 1,500m race.
However, despite being regarded as one of the all-time greats in the women’s 1,500m, Kipyegon wasn’t satisfied with the world record still elusive.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon reacts after winning the women's 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023.
Jewel Samad | AFP
She has chalked 17 Diamond League victories since her debut in 2015 which include her Series wins in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022.
Bio
Name: Faith Cheng’etich Kipyegon
Date of birth: January 10, 1994
Race: 1,500m, 5,000m
Coach: Patrick Sang
Camp/Management: Global Sports Communication
Favourite music: “Try Everything" by Colombian musician Shakira
Favourite food: Ugali, beef stew, Managu, Mursik
Additional reporting by AFP
