Faith Kipyegon became the first athlete to win three straight Olympic 1,500m titles with a decisive win on Saturday that is now one for the record books.
The Kenyan took the gold in 3:51.29 — a new Olympic record — and finished a full second ahead of Australia’s Jessica Hull (3:52.26) and Great Britain’s Georgia Bell (3:52.61). Shortly after crossing the finish line, Kipyegon raised her hands in disbelief and screamed as she fell backwards on to the track in celebration.
Kipyegon started her gold medal journey in the 1,500m at the 2016 Rio Games (4:08.92) and shaved 15 seconds from that mark in 2021 in Tokyo (3:53.11).
“I was really looking forward to defending my title, and I had a dream,” she said. “Amazing to me, I completed it. I’m so, so happy. I managed to make history. I’ve done it.”
The race was expected to be a battle from the start, as the group appeared to take less of a tactical approach and simply stick with the frontrunner, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay. But at the bell lap, Kipyegon surged to the front of the pack and left no doubt that she would deploy a strong kick after the final turn.
Her win was a return to winning form for Kipyegon after she initially won the silver in the 5,000m on Monday. She clashed with Tsegay during the race as both women made contact in the later stages of the event. Beatrice Chebet took the win but Kipyegon was disqualified because of the altercation — which was overturned after appeal.
But she shook off the drama of the 5,000m and cruised through qualifying on the way to the 1,500m final.
Kipyegon admitted that the emotional 5,000m final had an impact on her but she strived to focus on the task of winning the 1,500m.
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