Maverick Faith Kipyegon Smashes Personal World Record at Paris Diamond League

Indomitable Kenyan athlete Faith Kipyegon has set a new 1500m track record in Paris.

Faith Kipyegon set the new 1500m World Record In Paris Diamond League on 7th July 2024 just days before the entire world converges on the French capital for the Olympic Games.

Kipyegon, who launched her season with the Olympic trials where she easily dominated to qualify for the games, ran a blistering 3:49.04, smashing the 3.49.11 record that she set in Monaco a year ago.

The legendary runner has now dispelled questions on her fitness, easily breaking her record in her second event of the year while not being fully conditioned for racing. 

At the Paris Olympics, the world’s biggest extravaganza this year, Kipyegon will be doubling in 1500m and 5,000m just as she did at the Budapest World Championships last year. The Olympic Games will run from July 26 to August 11.

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At the national trials, and before she kicked off her preparations for today’s Paris Diamond League, Kipyegon promised: “I am looking forward to a bright summer…. I am excited to be back on the track and executing it well”

Kipyegon has dominated in the arena where she made history in 2023 as she became the first athlete to break more than one world record in a single Diamond League season.

Her 5,000m record of 14:05.20 was the second of three, and came just a week after she had broken the 1500m world record in Florence.

The 5,000m mark was, however, later broken by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, and despite the lowering of her record the track star still went ahead to end the season as the 2023 Diamond League champion, claiming her fourth career trophy in the 1500m.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Jacob Krop has set a new personal best time of 7:30.07 to win the 3000m event at the 2024 Paris Diamond League.

Krop, who is also a 5000m world silver medallist, delivered an impressive performance as he continues his preparations for the upcoming Olympics in the same city later this month.

Australia’s Stewart McSweyn finished second with a time of 7:29.46, while America’s Sean McGorty came in third at 7:35.63. Another Kenyan in the race, Issac Ndiema, placed 10th with a time of 7:39.12.

Krop, who clinched bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, is set to make his Olympic debut and aims to make a significant impact in the 5000 meters.

Krop will be teaming up with Ronald Kwemoi and Edwin Kurgat for Team Kenya, aiming to bring home the coveted gold medal and continue Kenya’s storied legacy in long-distance running.

Krop recently emphasized the importance of both physical and mental preparation in a recent interview before he flew out to Paris.

“Running at the Olympics stage is good for me because you face the best of the best in the world. Remember running is not just about the body but also how strong one is mentally. This is what makes the difference on such a global stage,” Krop noted as quoted on The Star.

He further added, “It was not easy to make it to the Olympic Games and that is why I am keen to run well in Paris and make my country proud.”

Krop has been training intensively at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, focusing on both his physical condition and mental resilience. “Running is about the mind and I want to put a lot of emphasis on that and Kenyans should expect good results from me in Paris—probably gold,” he said.

Determined to end Kenya’s long wait for an Olympic gold medal in the 5000m since John Ngugi’s victory in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Krop expressed confidence in his recent improvements and aspirations. “I have been doing very well recently and I want to win gold. It has been long since we won gold and I think the time is now,” he stated.

—Source:Pulse