Faith Kipyegon, a two-time Olympic champion, won her second 1500m title at the World Athletics Championship on Tuesday, giving Kenya its first gold medal at the event.
Kipyegon, who previously won world gold in the distance in 2017 as well as two silver medals in 2015 and 2019, dominated the race from start to finish, clocking a time of 3min 52.96sec.
Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia claimed silver in 3:54.52, with Britain’s Laura Muir taking bronze (3:55.28).
“I am so glad to have reclaimed the title today because I really had to work hard for it. The competition was tight, but i had prepared well for the battle,” Kipyegon said after her win.
During the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, she lost the world title to Dutch Sifan Hassan.
She has only lost to Hassan once since then, at the Diamond League meeting in Florence last year.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto took bronze in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase finals behind Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma.
Kenya is currently ranked third in the World Athletics Championship’s 2022 medals table with six medals (1 gold, 3 silvers and 2 bronze).
Faith Kipyegon’s gold in the women 1,500m race, Stanley Waithaka Mburu’s silver in the men’s 10,000m race, Hellen Obiri’s silver in the women 10,000m race, Judith Jeptum Korir’s silver in the women marathon, Conseslus Kipruto’s bronze in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase and Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi’s bronze in the women’s 10,000m race.
Hosts, United States are leading the table with 16 medals (6 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze).
Ethiopia come in second with six medals (3 gold and 3 silver).
