Kenya;s Faith Kipyegon underlined her status as the queen of the 1500m, bagging her third successive Olympic title at the distance at the Paris 2024 Games on Saturday, becoming the first woman to win three Olympic golds in a single track discipline.
Each stride the 30-year-old made on the purple track of the packed Stade de France took her closer to her legendary status.
“When I was on that start line, I was just thinking, what happened in the 5000m. It took a lot of energy in my mind and I was thinking a lot, you know. But to come out and execute, after that dramatic race, it was just amazing.
“So for me, I really thank all the people who supported me, my team, my management, my coach, my family for talking to me, like, ‘just calm down, and just run your race over the 1500, and you will see, you will do it.’ So, it was good. I really thank God,” said Kipyegon.
Three-time world 1500m champion and world record-holder, Kipyegon produced a fearless run on the last lap to clock 3:51.29, taking two seconds off the Olympic record she set in Tokyo three years ago.
World 2000m record-holder Jessica Hull of Australia overtook world road mile champion Diribe Welteji to take silver, clocking 3:52.56 as Great Britain’s Georgia Bell also passed Welteji close to the finish to earn bronze with a national record of 3:52.61.
