Kenya’s Kipyegon wins record fourth 1,500m title at World Athletics

The runner fondly known arsenic the ‘Queen of 1,500m’ was wide by astir 4 minutes arsenic she crossed the decorativeness line.

Kenya’s peerless middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon has underlined her presumption arsenic 1 of the top athletes of each clip by convincingly claiming a 4th 1,500 metres satellite rubric to spell with her 3 Olympic golds and satellite grounds successful the event.

Kipyegon delivered a gun-to-tape tally connected Tuesday and destroyed the tract arsenic she came location wide successful 3 minutes 52.15 seconds.

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Fellow Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi ran a idiosyncratic champion 3:54.92 for metallic portion Jessica Hull won Australia’s archetypal medal successful the lawsuit erstwhile she conscionable held connected for bronze successful 3:55.16.

Kipyegon present matches Hicham El Guerrouj (1997-2003) by claiming 4 satellite 1,500-metre golds, and she volition besides spell for a 2nd satellite 5,000-metre rubric aboriginal this week.

“Being capable to support my rubric and to triumph a 4th golden feels truly special,” Kipyegon said.

“After mounting the satellite grounds successful Eugene [in July], I said to myself, ‘I person to spell to Tokyo and support my title.’ I knew I could tally it nether control.

“I won present successful the 2021 Olympics conscionable aft becoming a mother, truthful being backmost here, winning again, means I tin amusement a caller golden medal to my daughter.”

4TH TIME 1500M WORLD CHAMPION 🥹💜🥰🇰🇪

This was my dream, different satellite title, continuing to marque history.

I americium truthful blessed to person participated successful #Tokyo2025, it’s bringing backmost truthful galore memories from the #Olympics. The vigor from the spectators and my fans is incredible! 💜💜💜 pic.twitter.com/6f8S2U6F1B

— Faith Kipyegon, EGH🇰🇪 (@Kipyegon_Faith) September 16, 2025

Kipyegon, 31, acceptable her stall retired from the commencement connected Tuesday, mounting an aboriginal gait that strung retired the busier-than-usual tract aft other athletes were reinstated pursuing semifinal falls.

However, she seemed to easiness disconnected somewhat connected the 3rd thigh and Ewoi and Olympic metallic medallist Hull, who has spent astir of her vocation watching Kipyegon’s backmost vanish into the distance, were close connected her enarthrosis astatine the bell.

There was thing to interest about, however, arsenic Kipyegon rapidly took power again and by the clip she crossed the enactment she was 30 metres clear.

Kipyegon volition beryllium backmost successful the stadium connected Thursday for the 5,000-metre heats, with the last connected Saturday.

Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir, Faith Kipyegon and Dorcus Ewoi observe aft the women’s 1500-metre last astatine World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo [Andrej Isakovic/AFP]

The diminutive all-time 1,500-metre large grew up successful occidental Kenya’s Rift Valley, which is renowned arsenic a breeding crushed for runners.

The satellite grounds holder’s travel began successful the ever-changing muddy, dusty and hilly terrain of Ndababit village, 233km (144 miles) westbound of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

“I utilized to tally barefoot from my colony to the superior schoolhouse due to the fact that successful Kenya, schools are truthful acold that you ever extremity up moving successful bid to scope them successful time,” Kipyegon told Al Jazeera successful 2023.

“I person loved [running] since I was a small girl, but I ne'er thought I would go an Olympic champion 1 day,” she said.

It wasn’t until she turned 15 that the miss from a household of runners – her begetter was a 400-metre and 800-metre runner and her sister a 10-kilometre and half-marathon specializer – began grooming to go an athlete.

“I was successful secondary schoolhouse successful 2009 when, by a changeable of luck, a manager saw maine and introduced maine to a runner’s lifestyle. He provided maine with a due fare and everything I needed to go a nonrecreational athlete.”

Among the agelong database of milestones successful Kipyegon’s career, winning a second Olympic gold in Tokyo successful 2021 aft returning from a maternity interruption stands retired arsenic a testament to her tenacity and single-mindedness.

Kipyegon credits motherhood and her girl Alyn with helping her signifier a competitory comeback.

“It was not easy, arsenic I could hardly locomotion 20 minutes the archetypal clip I stepped backmost connected the track,” she said successful a societal media video successful 2022, arsenic she reflected connected the difficulties of returning to the way aft having fixed birth.

“But the spot Alyn gives maine has helped maine flooded each challenges.”

Kipyegon is seen arsenic a relation exemplary successful Kenya, wherever she fondly known arsenic the “Queen of 1,500 metres”.