Kipyegon mulls another attempt at 1,500m world record
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon crosses the finish line to win the 1500m Women event at the Wanda Diamond League athletics meeting at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco on August 10, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The Kaptagat-based Chepngetich clocked the second fastest time in the world, 3:50.37, to finish way ahead of USA’s Heather Maclean and Elise Cranny who settled for second and third place
- Chepngetich told Nation Sport on phone from Monaco that the world record was well within her reach
- She said she will not prepare for her next Diamond League race without revealing which meet she had entered
Two-time Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon believes that breaking the world record time over the distance is achievable after missing it by an agonising 0.3 seconds during the Monaco Diamond League on Wednesday night.
The Kaptagat-based Chepngetich clocked the second fastest time in the world, 3:50.37, to finish way ahead of USA’s Heather Maclean and Elise Cranny who settled for second and third place in personal best times of 3:58.89 and 3:59.06 respectively.
Last year Chepngetich, missed breaking the world record time of 3:50.07 held by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, clocking 3:51.07 to win the very same Monaco meet.
Chepngetich told Nation Sport on phone from Monaco that the world record was well within her reach.
“I trained well and ran well. I believe getting the record is achievable because I missed by just fractions of seconds.
“I will certainly try to lower that time. I have to prepare for it and make sure the conditions are right for a record to be broken,” said Chepngetich.
She said she will not prepare for her next Diamond League race without revealing which meet she had entered. But it will certainly be in her 1,500m specialty.
“We still have three races but I’m still not sure which one I will participate,” she said.
Chepngetich reclaimed the world title last month at the Oregon championships in the USA.
Dibaba set the world record of the 1,500m in Monaco in 2015. The previous record of 3:50.46 was held by China’s Qu Yunxia, achieved in 1993 in Beijing China.
At the Monaco Diamond League on Wednesday, Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechase champion Jackline Chepkoech came in fifth over the distance in a time of 9:09.72.
The race was won by Ethiopia’s Werkuha Getachew who clocked 9:06.19 ahead of compatriot Zerfe Wondemagegn (9:06.63) while Great Britain’s Elizabeth Bird (9:07.87) finished third.
In men’s 1,000m, Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal, fresh from retaining his Commonwealth Games 800m title, faded to finish fourth in what was a poor outing for Kenyans.
The Olympics 800m silver medallist Ferguson Rotich and the Olympics champion Emmanuel Korir finished a disappointing ninth and 12th respectively.
It was also a poor show in men’s 3,000m where the first Kenyan, Nicholas Kimeli could only manage a fourth place in a time of 7:31.19. Jacob Krop was sixth after clocking 7:33.30.
Cornelius Kemboi (7:44.73), Daniel Simiu (7:44.81) and Bethwell Birgen (7:56.82) finished way behind, 13th, 14th and 15th respectively.
Diamond League moves to Lausanne on August 26, Brussels on September 2 before the season finale in Zurich from September 7-8 .
