Kipyegon continues to reign supreme, embodying her faith in women

TOKYO — Faith Kipyegon underlined her credentials as the best middle-distance runner of all time in Tokyo on Tuesday, while also having more than succeeded in showing women athletes that having a child can be a springboard from which to relaunch their careers.

Kipyegon's fourth world 1,500m title further cemented her grip on the event on the global stage, the 31-year-old having also won the last three Olympics.

The Kenyan is fairly unusual on the elite circuit in being a mother, having given birth to her daughter Alyn in June 2018.

"I know what women pass through after maternity leave. They think it's the end of their lives. I want to prove them wrong: this is the future, it's the start of your career," Kipyegon told reporters.

"It was not easy, but I had people around me: my coach, my manager, my officials, my husband, who really believed in me."

Kipyegon, who shed 19 kilograms on the road back to competition, added: "It's not an easy journey, it needs a lot of mental strength, you need to be strong and courageous in all you do.

"I just took time. I took time to enjoy the bundle of my joy Alyn, just having fun with my daughter, because she was still young, and turn gradually toward the 2019 world championships.

"I took a lot of time in training to reduce weight, do gym and exercise, to bring my body (through) in a healthy way."

Since August 2020, Kipyegon has totally dominated the event.

Over her preferred 1,500m, she has won 20 from 21, including the Paris and Tokyo Olympic finals. In that time, she has also competed in a slew of other events including the mile, 3,000m and 5,000m, winning most of them.

Kipyegon added a third world title in Budapest in 2023 after first winning in 2017. She was pipped to world gold in Qatar in 2019 — her first major championships since she gave birth — by Sifan Hassan, who has since moved up to the marathon and is absent from Tokyo.

Endurance and speed

Married to London Olympic 800m bronze medalist Timothy Kitum, Kipyegon trains under the watchful eye of Patrick Sang, who also coaches marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.

Sang described Kipyegon as someone with an attitude to life and racing similar to that of Kipchoge.

"She is one of those few balanced athletes with a capacity for endurance and also for speed," Sang told reporters.

"I was really impressed. Some athletes are complaining, she never complains.

"She does the work. She is a very focused athlete."

Kipyegon first came to fame — barefoot — when winning the junior world cross-country championship in Punta Umbria, Spain, in 2011 at the age of 17, sprinting to a memorable gold in a photo finish.

"It has been a journey," she acknowledged. "I was feeling comfortable running barefoot. I was still young, just coming from the village.

"I had never used spikes," she reminisced. "I used what I am comfortable with. After Punta Umbria, I came back home and gradually learned to use the spikes, and now I am using spikes, I don't know how to run barefoot anymore!"

Arguably 2023 was her annus mirabilis, her third world title coming on the back of three world records in the season.

This year, she even had a tilt, albeit aided by pacemakers and technology, at becoming the first woman to break the four-minute barrier for the mile, clocking 4:06.42 in her bid in Paris.

"I would say I didn't do what I wanted to do, but it sent a message that it is possible one day," Kipyegon said.

"If it does not come my way, it will be someone one day. I believe there will be a woman running under four minutes in the next generation, or in our generation. That's why I keep going, keep training.

"I have achieved a lot, all the medals, the Olympics and world championships, but I still have a drive, I still want to show that women are capable of doing what we have to do in this world, that we have got this and we need to do it."

AFP