In Paris
In November, 2012, the International Association of Athletics Federations (now World Athletics) named Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon as the world’s most promising female athlete.
The ceremony at a black-tie reception held in the ballroom of Barcelona’s Skipper Pullman Hotel, that also climaxed the world track and field governing body’s centenary celebrations, saw sprinters Usain Bolt of Jamaica and USA’s Allyson Felix named top male and female athletes of that year.
Kipyegon was picked for her World Under-20 Championships victory in the 1,500 metres in Barcelona, which followed another win in the metric mile at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships in Lille, France.
Well, the awards’ judges in 2012 were spot on as, boy, oh boy, hasn’t Kipyegon gone beyond merely promising?
On Monday, she stands on the cusp of greatness when she lines up in a stellar 5,000m final field packed with many potential battles and scripts within the main script.
It is the first of two races she hopes to win at the Paris Olympics, the other being the 1,500m which will make her the first athletes to win three back-to-back Olympic 1,500m gold medals.
The 1,500m final is on Saturday, the Games’ penultimate day, which gives her ample time to rest and recover from Monday night’s challenge.
In Tokyo three years ago, the 30-year-old mother of one became only the third person to defend an Olympic 1,500m title after Great Britain’s Sebastian Coe (now World Athletics President) and Russia’s Tatyana Kazankina.
Kipyegon has run the 5,000m sparingly, including at the Stade Charletey in Paris last year in June when she broke the world record in a two-week frenzy that saw her shatter three world records on the Diamond League circuit.
She started off on June 2 in Firenze, Italy, becoming the first woman to dip under three minutes, 50 seconds when she breasted the tape in 3:49.11 to break her own 1,500m record.
She then crossed over to Paris to run her first 5,000m race in eight years, again improving the world record to 14:05.20, before making the quick dash to Monte Carlo in Monaco where she improved the mile world mark to 4:07.64, beating the trailing Irishwoman Ciara Mageean and Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu by over seven seconds, and running the latter half of the race alone.
But Kipyegon’s 5,000m record was later broken by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay who ran 14:00.21 at the Eugene Diamond League meeting in USA on September 17 last year.
Gudaf is in the mix in today’s final, and so is multi-talented Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan who is entered in the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon, chasing an unprecedented triple record, and Kipyegon might just fancy the chances of exacting revenge on Gudaf.
But it won’t be just about Kipyegon, Sifan and Gudaf as Kenya’s other pocket rocket, Beatrice Chebet, is also spoiling for a fight.
When Gudaf shattered the world record in Eugene last September, Chebet was breathing down her neck, running 14:05.92 in second place, which is the third-fastest all time.
Chebet later returned to Eugene’s Hayward Field in May this year and smashed the world 10,000m world record, raising the stakes to 28:54.14.
This time, Gudaf was second in 29:05.92.
Kipyegon, Chebet alongside their compatriot Margaret Chelimo had no difficulty in qualifying for tonight’s final which will be run at 9.15pm, Paris time, which is 10.15pm Kenyan time.
“I did not push it 100 percent…I was on 50 to 60,” said Chebet who won her qualifying heat in 15:00.73.
“The body responded well… I expect good results (in the final) and it will be very competitive. The track is good and the crowd amazing,” she added.
What about her anticipated battle with Kipyegon, Sifan, Gudaf and the rest of the pack? “It’s not going to be easy when competing with them… But it is about focus and believing in yourself.”
Chebet, also the world cross country champion, has been knocking on the golden door in the 5,000m.
Will it be third time lucky? Because she won silver at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and bronze at last year’s championships in Budapest…
Like Kipyegon, Chebet is doubling up, also chasing the 10,000m gold in the final on Friday.
Kipyegon had a taste of the final by running with Sifan in her heat which she won in 14:57.56 on Friday.
“To meet her already in the heats then we are going to meet in the final, that was amazing,” said Kipyegon whose husband Timothy Kitum won bronze for Kenya in the 800m at the London 2012 Olympics in a race gold medallist David Rudisha smashed the world record, running 1:40.91.
She doesn’t want to be dragged too much into the conversation about her bid for the 5,000m-1,500m double.
“I will just step onto the track and just run my race and see what’s possible. I wanted to run both races because I like it. I did it in Budapest last year (at the World Athletics Championships) and it worked in a perfect way.
The women’s 5,000m is one of few events in which no world record has been set at the Olympics. Could this change tonight?
Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye, bronze medalist in the 10,000m in Tokyo, is also in the mix tonight.
