Faith Kipyegon speaks after delivering Kenya's first gold
Gold medalist Faith Kipyegon of Team Kenya celebrates after competing in the Women's 1500m Final on day four of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 18, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
What you need to know:
- Kipyegon said that she was so happy to have bagged the first gold for Kenya, but admitted that she had to work hard for it.
- “I’m glad to have won the race where I have secured victory five times in the Diamond League. I want to end my season by trying to lower my personal best in the distance,” said Kipyegon, who trains under the Global Sports Communication stable in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet.
After reclaiming her 1500m title at the World Athletics Championship on Tuesday in Oregon, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon now wants to lower her personal best in the remaining legs of the Diamond League.
The Double Olympic champion handed the country its first gold at the competition after an impressive run to win in 3min 52.96sec ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who claimed silver in 3:54.52, with Britain's Laura Muir taking bronze after timing 3:55.28.
Kenya now has a total of six medals - one Gold, three Silver and two Bronze.
Kipyegon said that she was happy to have bagged the first gold for Kenya, but admitted that she had to work hard for it.
“I’m glad I won the race at the place where I have secured victory five times in the Diamond League. I want to end my season by trying to lower my personal best in the distance,” said Kipyegon, who trains under the Global Sports Communication stable in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet.
“It was a tough race which started with a very fast pace, but my training helped me keep up with the Ethiopians and later surge forward for the gold” she added.
The remaining legs of the Diamond League are in Silesia, Poland (August 6), Monaco ( August 10), Lausanne ( August 26), Brussels ( September 2) and Zurich ( September 7 and 8).
Kipyegon warned that she still has more championships to compete in and her target is to always remain at the top.
She lost the world title to Dutch Sifan Hassan during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships.
She has since then only lost once to Hassan at the Diamond League meeting in Florence last year.
Kipyegon started her season with a second place finish in the 3,000m during the Doha Diamond League series where she said that she was using the event for build up and endurance.
Victory in Oregon made it a fourth global outdoor championships gold.
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.
