Olympic Champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon produced a tactical masterclass to win the women’s 1500m World title in 4:02.59 at the ongoing IAAF World Championships in London.
In a slow paced final, nobody was brave enough to hit the pedals early so as not to burn out quickly as they waited for who would make the first move.
When Sifan Hassan had enough and stormed into the lead in the last 400m, Kipyegon stayed with her all through and showed more endurance as she came out triumphant, winning the only title that has so far eluded her.
Somehow, Jenny Simpson who was initially not in the thick of things, crept in the cluster and secured Silver in 4:02.76, while South Africa’s Caster Semenya out-dipped Laura Muir to win Bronze in 4:02.90.
On her victory, Kipyegon said: “I thank God today, it was a good race in London.
“I knew it would be fast, it is such a quality field. The best was going to win here. It was always going to be quick and competitive. I’m looking forward to celebrating this with my family,” a happy Kipyegon said.
That win saw Kipyegon land Kenya’s 2nd GOLD of the World Championships, taking her country up to second place on the medals table behind USA who currently leads the standings.
Interestingly in 2015, Kipyegon finished 2nd behind a dominant Genzebe Dibaba in Beijing, but the World Record holder has not had a good season like she would have wished for, narrowly making the final as one of the fastest losers, and finishing 12th in the final with a time of 4:06.72
For Kipyegon, she is now the current holder of the Commonwealth, Olympic and World 1500m titles, completing a clean sweep of international titles
