Kipyegon leads Kenyans to Diamond League circuit
After a dazzling fortnight of action at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, the world’s finest athletes return to the Wanda Diamond League circuit this month.
The World Athletics Championships may now be over, but the track and field season marches on in August as the world’s finest head to the Wanda Diamond League circuit in their bid to win other global titles is on offer in 2022.
Among them is World Athletics champion Faith Kipyegon who is eyeing another gold medal at the 10th leg of the Wanda Diamond League in Monaco on August 10 at Louis II Stadium.
Kipyegon who is also the double Olympic champion over the distance will be gunning to break the five-year, 3:50.7 seconds record set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba.
In Oregon Kipyegon, who previously won world gold over the distance in 2017 along with two silvers from 2015 and 2019, dominated the race from start to finish, clocking a winning time of 3:52:96.
Second-place finish
Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia claimed silver in 3:54.52, with Britain’s Laura Muir taking bronze (3:55.28).
Kipyegon started her season with a second-place finish in the 3,000m during the Doha Diamond League series where she said that she was using the event for build-up and endurance.
Victory in Oregon made it a fourth global outdoor championship gold. She is the only Kenyan woman to have won the world title in the metric mile race and the second Kenyan to have won the Olympic title besides Jebet Lagat in 2008 Beijing.
Kipyegon is also the only woman to have run six races under three minutes, 55 seconds in the 1500m and also owns five of the fastest times ever in the women’s 1500.
Upon her return from Oregon, USA, Kipyegon made it clear that her focus shifts to the world record, with Monaco being a good place to give it a shot given her performance last year.
“I am so grateful and looking forward to becoming the Greatest of all Time in 1500m. My target is to now get the world record. The hard work will continue and I pray that I remain injury free and mentally strong. In the next two weeks, I’m going for the Diamond League in Monaco which is a very fast track and I’m looking forward to racing there for the second time,” she said.
In last year’s Monaco meeting Kipyegon cruised to victory in 3:51.07, a Kenyan record and the fourth fastest time in history as Netherland’s Siffan Hassan finished second in 3:53.60, with Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu coming third in a personal best of 3:56.28.
