- Faith Kipyegon has won two world titles
- She is the current world record holder
- The World Championships begin in Budapest
Faith Kipyegon’s quest for a historic third world title in the women’s 1500m starts on the opening day at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.
Kipyegon has clinched a medal at every world championships since 2017, winning the title in 2017 and 2022 and earning silver in 2019 when she had just returned from maternity leave.
The 29-year old has been in scintillating form this season, breaking two world records within a week and adding a third just three weeks ago.
Kipyegon broke the 1500m word record in Florence, then went on to add another feat by breaking the 5,000m mark in Paris just a week later.
At the Monaco Diamond League, Kipyegon underlined her prowess with another world record, this time in the women’s mile.
Heading to Budapest, she is the outright favourite and will start her campaign off Heat Two. Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji, the second fastest in the field this season, will look to offer competition.
Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant is the only other athlete in the Heat who has run a sub-4 this season, with a best of 3:58.01.
Kenya with a youthful team
Kenya’s other three representatives in the race will be youngsters Edinah Jebitok, Nelly Chepchirchir and Purity Chepkirui.
Jebitok lines up in Heat One, where she will contest with Kipyegon’s biggest competitor for the title, Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan. Chepchirchir, making her debut in the seniors, will be in heat three while Purity Chepkirui, the 2021 World Under-20 Champion, lines up in heat four.
Meanwhile, early on, Kenya will have the opportunity of winning its first medal in the morning, with the final of the men’s 20km lined up.
Samuel Gathimba, a three-time African champion will be looking for his first ever World Championship medal, having come close and placed fourth in Oregon last year.
The national champion has a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games in 2018, but thirsts for a piece of silverware from the global event, where he is currently ranked seventh worldwide.
In other events involving Kenyans in the morning program, the 4x400m mixed relays team comprising Commonwealth Games 800m champions Mary Moraa and Wycliffe Kinyamal as well as Bonface Mweresa and Naomi Korir will begin their charge for a medal, and will be lining up in the first of two Heats.
At noon, Kenya will continue the quest to regain their football in the men’s steeplechase.
Having lost the world title to Soufiane El Bakkali in Oregon last year, Kenya’s youthful team will look to assert their authority early on when the Heats start Saturday afternoon.
Kenyan trio looking to battle for titles
Kenya’s team is made of up youngster Simon Koech, Abraham Kibiwott and Leonard Bett, all former medalists at junior levels.
Koech clinched bronze at the Uner-20 championships hosted in Nairobi in 2021 and won the Kenyan trials. He warmed up for Budapest with an imperious run at the Monaco Diamond League, from where he won the race and clinched qualification time.
He will line up in Heat One and among the tough athletes he will compete against include Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale.
Kibiwott, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, with a season’s best of 8:05.51 lines up in Heat Two, where reigning champion El Bakkali will also be lining up from, and it will be an early tease of what is to come.
Bett, in Heat Three, will also be up for some early teasing, when he lines up alongside Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, who finished second behind El Bakkali in Oregon last year.
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