- Kipyegon shaved five seconds off the 1-mile world record
- She had previously broken the 1500m and 5,000m world records
- The 28-year old now focuses on the World Champs
Double Olympic and World Champion Faith Kipyegon broke her third world record in slightly over a month, as she clocked a new world mark in the one-mile race at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday night.
Kipyegon shaved almost five seconds off the previous mark as she ran 4:07.64 to win the race with a magnificient performance. She lowered the mark of 4:12.33 set by her Dutch rival Sifan Hassan on the same track four years ago.
“I was very well prepared and it was just a matter of running a beautiful race in Monaco and just see the outcome at the finish line. I believe in the training I had done and I knew everything was possible,” Kipyegon said after the race.
She added; “I knew I was in good shape and that is why I decided to come here. It was amazing. I saw the wavelight chasing me down in the final 200 and I felt very fast. The crowd also cheered me on and gave me energy to finish strong.”
So dominant was her performance, that she won by almost seven seconds despite three women behind her setting area records, six setting national records and 11 setting personal best times.
National and Area records set
Faith Kipyegon celebrates setting a new world record in Monaco. (Photo – Diamond League Twitter)
Ireland’s Ciara Mageean set a national record in second (4:14.58) and moved to fifth on the world all-time list, just ahead of Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu (4:14.79). Fourth-placed Laura Muir set a British record (4:15.24), fifth-placed Jessica Hull set an Oceanian and Australian record (4:15.34) and sixth-placed Nikki Hiltz set a North American and US record (4:16.35).
Hailu (6), Muir (7) and Hull (8) also entered the all-time top 10.
She had shown her intention straight from the gun, as she stuck to the coattails of the pace setters, ensuring she was well within the required time, as they crossed the 800m mark in slightly inside two minutes.
Heading to the bell, when the last pace setter, Ugandan Winnie Nanyondo dropped out, Kipyegon threw down the gauntlet and as she approached the home straight, with the wavelight technology well behind her, she dipped deeper into her energy reserves.
Switch attention to World Championships
Faith Kipyegon reacts after her world record. (Photo – Diamond League Twitter)
With a confidence boosting victory in Monaco, Kipyegon now switches attention to the World Championships in Budapest next month, where she looks to win a third world title after previous victories in 2017 and 2021.
In Budapest, she is set to double, running over both the 1500m and the 5,000m races.
“The Focus now is on the World Championships in Budapest and the biggest aim is to defend my 1500m world title and introduce my legs to the 5,000m. I will double yes, but for the 1500m, the focus is clear to win the title. For the 5k, I will just do my best then see,” Kipyegon said after winning in Monaco.
She travels back to Nairobi, where she will intensify her work in training at the Kaptagat Training base to get ready for Budapest.
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