Kenya's Faith Kipyegon Breaks Her Own 1,500m World Record

News18

3 days ago

Last Updated:
Faith Kipyegon has broken her own 1500m world record by improving the timing to 3min 48.68secs.
Kenya's three-time reigning Olympic champion, Faith Kipyegon, broke her own 1,500m world record on Saturday, recording a time of 3min 48.68secs to win at the Diamond League athletics meeting in Eugene, Oregon. This surpassed her previous record of 3:49.04, set at the Diamond League meeting in Paris on July 7, 2024.
Kipyegon was competing in her first 1,500m race of the season, after an attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes at a special event in Paris on June 26 fell short.
She mentioned that her preparation for that attempt contributed to her performance in her signature event.
'I think the changes were that I was preparing myself for something special, which was to run under four minutes in a mile, and I think I pushed myself, getting better and better toward the 1,500, so I knew it was possible to still run under 3:49," she said.
'Road To Tokyo'
The 'Breaking 4" mile attempt, supported by extensive technical assistance including a custom-made suit and new Victory Elite FK shoes, was an outlier. However, Kipyegon said this race puts her on track for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
'This is the road to Tokyo, and I would say I am in the right direction," said the 31-year-old Kenyan, who has not yet decided if she will attempt the 1,500m/5,000m double in Tokyo.
Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji finished second in 3:51.44, surpassing Australia's Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull, who had stayed close to Kipyegon until the final lap but finished third in 3:52.67.
'For someone to show up and just keep doing it over and over again, she's phenomenal," Hull said of Kipyegon. 'She was aware that I was going to be there this time, so she put her foot down and made it really hard for that last 500 metres."
With AFP Inputs
First Published:
July 06, 2025, 09:01 IST