1,500m is in safe hands, Says Kipyegon as she plots to venture into longer distances

Faith Kipyegon after winning her fourth 1,500m world title/ HANDOUT

Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon believes the women’s 1500m is in safe hands if the performance of silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi in the ongoing World Athletics Championships is anything to go by.

Kipyegon clocked 3:52.15 to win the race ahead of Dorcus Ewoi, who clocked a personal best of 3:54.92. Australia’s Jessica Hull completed the podium in 3:55.16. 

The other Kenyan, Nelly Chepchirchir, also posted a personal best of 3:55.25 to close the top four places.

Kipyegon said she was not aware that Ewoi had won a silver because she had seen Hull on the big screen behind her. “I am now learning here in the mixed zone that Ewoi won silver; I actually didn’t know. 

Kipyegon said they had run as a team and were happy they delivered gold and silver. Kipyegon, who won her fourth world title, said she will immediately shift her mind to the 5,000m, and she believes that with the rest of the team, they will deliver gold.

Ewoi on her part said all she wanted was to run a personal best, and the silver came as a surprise. 

“My coach told me that if I can push hard enough, I will be able to run my personal best, and that is what I was expecting. However, I am just over the moon that I settled for the silver medal. This means a lot for me, and I don’t even know if I will sleep tonight,” she added.

Ewoi, however, said that despite appearing in one international meeting and even skipping the Kenyan trials, she trained very hard. 

Chepchirchir said she is happy to have posted her personal best. She said she has had a good season and there is really nothing to regret. " I may not have medalled, but I have had a fantastic season and I have no regrets. She said she is also happy for Kipyegon and Ewoi, who ensured gold and silver for Kenya.

Kipyegon is a three-time World champion over the 1,500m, having claimed titles in 2017, 2022 and 2023. Kipyegon is a three-time world champion over the 1,500m, having claimed titles in 2017, 2022 and 2023.‎ 

In Budapest 2023, Kipyegon stormed to her third world crown with a commanding 3:54.87 victory, outclassing Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji, who clocked 3:55.69 and Dutch ace Sifan Hassan (3:56.00). 

‎Since launching her 2025 campaign in Xiamen on April 26, Kipyegon has been in imperious form. 

‎She opened her season with a sizzling 2:29.21 in the 1,000m, just shy of Russia's Svetlana Masterkova’s 1996 world record of 2:28.98. ‎On June 26 in Paris, she dared to rewrite history at the Nike ‘Breaking4’ event, attempting to become the first woman to crack the four-minute mile barrier. 

‎She fell short, clocking 4:06.42, but bounced back in emphatic style. ‎At the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, Kipyegon obliterated her own world 1,500m record, stopping the clock at a staggering 3:48.68, the first woman ever to dip under 3:49.

 Ewoi is making her first appearance in Team Kenya at the World Championships.‎ She has recorded a mixed bag of results since kicking off her 2025 campaign. On May 25, she placed third at the Rabat Diamond League, clocking 3:59.25 behind Chepchirchir (3:58.04) and Ethiopia's Worknesh Mesele (3:58.44).

‎At the Kip Keino classic on May 31, she fizzled out to a seventh-place finish in the 800m  (2:03.16) in a race won by national champion Lilian Odira (1:58.31). Ewoi punched her ticket in the 1,500m team to Tokyo after placing third at the trials with a time of 4:04.99.