Kipyegon bounces back to lead Kenyans into 1500m semis
Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia (front) leads Georgia Bell of Britain, Nikki Hiltz of United States and Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (left) in the Women's 1500m Round 1 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 06, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The third heat saw Nelly Chepchichir win in 4:02.67 ahead of Australia’s Jessica Hull, who clocked 4:02.70, while Elle St. Pierre from USA was third in 4:03.22.
- The semifinals will be on Thursday night with the finals on Saturday.
Double Olympic 1,500m women's champion, Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, put behind the rollercoaster events of Monday to lead her compatriots, Susan Ejore and Nelly Chepchirchir, in qualifying for the semi-finals of the women's 1,500m at the Paris Olympics.
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (centre) competes in the Women's 1500m Round 1 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 06, 2024.
Kipyegon on Tuesday started her bid for a third title after finishing fourth in the second heat won by Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji in 3:59.73, with Great Britain’s Georgia Bell (4:00.29) and USA’s Nikki Hiltz (4:00.42) in second and third positions respectively at the Stade de France.
"To tell the truth I am a bit tired but I feel fresh," defending Olympic champion Kipyegon said afterwards. "This is another race, another distance. I'm really good, mentally."
Susan Lokayo Ejore of Kenya (left) and Laura Muir of Britain in action during heat 1 of the women's 1,500m heats at the Stade de France on August 6, 2024.
US-based Susan Ejore qualified easily to the semifinals after emerging third in the first heat, clocking 3:59.01 in a race won by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, who clocked 3:58.84, while Great Britain’s Laura Muir was second in 3:58.91. Tsegay
Nelly Chepchirchir of Kenya (right) finishes ahead of Jessica Hull of Australia during heat 3 of the Women's 1500m Round 1 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 06, 2024
The third heat saw Nelly Chepchichir win in 4:02.67 ahead of Australia’s Jessica Hull, who clocked 4:02.70, while Elle St. Pierre from USA was third in 4:03.22.
The semifinals will be on Thursday night with the finals on Saturday. In Monday night's eventful 5,000m final, Kiyegon finished second behind compatriot Beatrice Chebet. She was disqualified after a clash with Ethiopian world record holder Gudaf Tsegay on the penultimate lap.
Her silver medal, however, was later reinstated following an appeal by the Kenyan team.