Despite having already made history as the first woman to dip under 3:49 in the 1,500m, triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon is now setting her sights even higher, targeting an audacious sub-3:48 as she continues to redefine the limits of middle-distance running.
On July 5, Kipyegon rewrote the history books yet again, obliterating her world record at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. The middle distance queen clocked an astonishing 3:48.68 at Hayward Field, becoming the first woman in history to run under 3:49, a milestone performance that stunned the athletics world.
The 31-year-old first attacked the women's mark in Florence, Italy, in 2023, where she shattered Genzebe Dibaba’s long-standing mark of 3:50.07 with a then-world record time of 3:49.11, becoming the first woman to dip under 3:50.
She lowered that mark even further in 2024 at the Paris Diamond League when she clocked 3:49.04 before going on to obliterate the mark this year in Eugene. But despite sitting comfortably ahead of the chasing pack, Kipyegon believes she can push the limits even further. "It was a good experience in Eugene, but I think there is still room for improvement to run under 3:48."
"I will still keep on pushing that World record to run even faster," Kipyegon asserted. As she gears up for the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, Kipyegon reflected on what has been a glittering season so far.
"The season has been good, and I want to thank God. It's been a beautiful journey as we head to Tokyo."
"I started with the 1,000m in Xiamen, then went to the Breaking4 attempt, which was a beautiful race in Paris. Then, going for the world record in Eugene, it has been really special," she said.
Her season opener came in Xiamen on April 26, where she comfortably won the 1,000m in 2:29.21, just a whisker off Svetlana Masterkova’s 1996 world record of 2:28.98. The Xiamen run was followed by an audacious attempt to break the four-minute barrier in the Mile at the Nike Breaking4 event in Paris on June 26.
Although she narrowly missed out after clocking 4:06.42, Kipyegon left Paris convinced she was ready for more magic in Eugene.
"I was not expecting to break my record in Eugene, but I believed in myself. I knew if I crossed 3:49 when doing the Breaking4, I was still capable of it in Eugene."
As Tokyo looms, Kipyegon is on a mission to defend her 1,500m and 5,000m titles, a demanding double she executed to perfection in Budapest 2023. "The target now is to train healthy, remain fit and injury-free towards Tokyo."
"I will be doubling in both the 1,500m and 5,000m, which is not an easy job to do, but I hope the training and preparation will serve me well," she said.
In Hungary, she stormed to the 1,500m crown in 3:54.87 before completing the double with a commanding win in the 5,000m in 14:53.88. Kipyegon will headline a formidable Kenyan squad in both events.
In the 1,500m, she will team up with rising stars Nelly Chepchirchir, Susan Ejore and Dorcas Ewoi, while the 5,000m will see her run alongside world record holder Beatrice Chebet, road running phenom Agnes Ng’etich, and Janeth Chepngetich.
"I will be joining a very strong team in the 1,500m with Nelly, Susan and Ewoi. The 5,000m has Beatrice and Agnes, and it's going to be great."
With her gradual transition into the longer distances, Kipyegon is keen to see the 1,500m legacy live on and believes Chepchirchir is ready to carry the baton.
"I am happy to see the next generation coming up nicely. Looking at Nelly, now that I am moving into the 5,000m, Nelly is there to take the baton and continue with the 1,500m."
"This has been our event for a long time, and I don't want to see us losing the 1,500m any time soon. So when I move to the 5,000m and 10,000m, I am happy to see Nelly taking over," she noted.
