Two-time Olympic gold medallist Faith Kipyegon is considered one of the greatest 1,500 metres athletes the world has ever seen. The Kenyan won the 1,500 metres gold in both Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. If she triumphs again in Paris, she will be the first athlete to win the Olympic event three times in a row.
Kipyegon had an incredible season in 2023. She broke world records in three events in under 50 days.
The 30-year-old broke the women’s 1,500 metres world record at the Diamond League meeting in Florence, Italy, at 3:49.11. Less than a week later, she shattered the 5,000 metres world record at the Diamond League event in Paris, France, with a time of 14:05.20. (That record was subsequently broken by the Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay with a time of 14:00.21.)
Next, Kipyegon shattered the one-mile world record with a time of 4:07.64 at the Diamond League meet in Monaco.
Later in the season, at the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary, Kipyegon won the 1,500 metres and the 5,000 metres—the first woman to do so at the global spectacle. In recognition of her remarkable feats, World Athletics crowned her the World Athlete of the Year for 2023.
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Reasons for her success
Kipyegon has found her way to the top with her talent, work ethic, and positive and humble attitude. The nurturing environment she trained in has also helped.
Born in 1994 on a Kenyan farm in the Rift Valley, she walked and jogged many miles to and from school.
Her physical education teacher identified her potential. By the time she was 16, she had already placed 4th in the World Cross Country Championships.
She had the benefit of training in Kenya’s high-altitude athletics camps. Running at high altitudes means there is less oxygen, and athletes tire more easily. The camps have become renowned for pushing athletes like Kipyegon to the limits of their endurance. The coaches also play a vital role in their success. Retired elite athlete Patrick Sang, for example, has trained multiple Olympic champions, including Kipyegon and Eliud Kipchoge.
Many of the athletes come from poor rural families and run to escape poverty. Kipyegon has gone from running barefoot in her first races to the height of success.