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Kipyegon hopes her ‘leap of faith’ will offer hope to new mothers
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon reacts as she breaks the World record in the women's 5000m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Before the race, Faith sought to encourage new mothers that they can bounce back and achieve anything after childbirth
In Paris
At just 29 years, Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon has achieved what most elite athletes will struggle to accomplish in their entire careers. And she even had the luxury of taking time off competitive running in 2017, foregoing prize money to have a baby, Alyn.
“The first time I wanted to become a mother was in 2017. I thought it was time to start a family and I was really planning that after the (2017) World Championships in London,” she says in a promotional video released by her Dutch management company, Global Sports Communication.
“There was the Commonwealth Games (in 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia) and I thought, this is the time to take a break and come back in 2019 at the World Championships (in Doha).”
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (right) competes with Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey in the women's 5000m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
After all, Kipyegon had already bagged a Commonwealth title at the 2014 “Club” games in Glasgow, outwitting Briton Laura Weightman and Canadian Kate Van Buskirk to take gold in four minutes, 08.94 seconds.
“In my mind, I was mentally prepared that when I go on maternity leave and come back, I will be stronger because I’ll be seeing my baby running around and that would give me joy.”
Married to 2012 London Olympics 800 metres bronze medallist Timothy Kitum, Kipyegon recovered well to win silver at the 2019 World Championships in Doha in a national record 3:54.22, finishing behind Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan (3:51.95).
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon speaks to the press after breaking the World record in the women's 5000m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
And last year in Eugene, Oregon (USA), she reclaimed her world title, relegating Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay and Briton Laura Muir to the minor medals.
“My daughter now tells me, ‘Mum I want to be a champion like you and to have many trophies like you.
After giving birth, Kipyegon added weight, bulging from 45 kilogrammes to 64, and could hardly run for 20 minutes.
“It was not easy. I had to first walk a little bit for the first few months, and in the second month I was running for 30 minutes and improving. My coach (Patrick Sang) told me to start with these exercises, and it went smoothly.”
Kipyegon’s mental strength had seen her through the post-delivery recovery period, and on an exciting Parisian night last Friday, she broke her second world track record inside a week at the Paris Diamond League meeting.
Her seven days of glory started at the Italian leg of the Diamond League series in Florence on June 2 when she smashed the 1,500m world record, clocking 3:49.11 and eclipsing the previous best of 3:50.07 set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in Monaco in 2015.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon reacts after breaking the World record in the women's 5000m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
Before Friday’s race, Kipyegon sought to encourage new mothers that they can always bounce back and achieve anything after childbirth.
“I dedicated my 1,500m world record to new mothers, so they can know that getting a child is a joyful thing and it gives you the motivation to get up early knowing that you have to fend for your child,” she told Sunday Nation here in Paris.
“Watching your little children play is the most beautiful thing.”
And in Paris on Friday night, the Kenyan superstar once again stole the show, stalking the pre-race favourite and outgoing 5,000m record holder, Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, to set a new mark over the distance, an astonishing 14:05.20.
President William Ruto led Kenyans in celebrating Kipyegon’s amazing week, describing her as an inspiration to the nation.
“Tenacity, focus, hunger for excellence and a winning mindset are the formulas for greatness. Faith Kipyegon has done it again. Another World Record this time in the 5,000 metres. What an athlete! What an inspiration! What a champion! Congratulations, Kenya is immensely proud of you,” President Ruto posted on his social media handles.
“Wow! Just one week after shattering the 1,500m world record, Faith Kipyegon breaks the 5,000m world record in an astonishing time of 14:05.20, making history once again! What an epic run. Congratulations,” tweeted opposition Azimio alliance leader Raila Odinga.
With Paris set to host the Olympic Games next month, Friday night appeared like Kipyegon’s warning shot ahead of a title defence having won her second Olympic gold (after Rio 2016) in Tokyo two years ago.
She stalked Gidey, breaking away from the Ethiopian with a blistering kick in the final 200 metres after some amazing pacemaking by Kenya’s steeplechase world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech who dropped off at 3,000 metres with the clock reading 8:31.91.
Besides Kipyegon’s record run on Friday night, Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma also had a record-breaking run, overcoming the 19-year-old steeplechase record held by Kenya-born Qatari Said Saeed Shaheen (Stephen Cherono) clocking 7:52.11, an improvement of 1.52 seconds off Shaheen’s 7:53.63 set in 2004 in Brussels.
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen also ran a world best in the two miles, clocking 7:54.10 to improve on Kenyan legend Daniel Komen’s previous best of 7:58.61 set in 1997 in Hechtel, Belgium.
Kenya’s Africa 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala (9.98) was beaten to second place at the tape by USA’s double world 200m champion Noah Lyles (9.97) while Emmanuel Wanyonyi continued his meteoric rise in the 800m, clocking the world’s fastest time this year in the two-lap race – 1:43.27.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi (centre) runs to win the men's 800m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
And with the Wavelights Technology (the latest innovation in track running where green trackside lights indicate the world record pace) coming into play in all distance races on Friday night, Kipyegon knew she just had to stay ahead of the lights, not worry about Gidey and the record would be hers for the taking.
The bell signalling the final lap sounding at 13:04.1, Kipyegon knew the task ahead in the last 400 metres, and – with the vocal Parisian crowd behind her - she conjured up a 61.1-second final lap to slice 1.42 seconds off Gidey’s previous mark of 14:06.62 set last October at the specially-organised NN World Record Day at Valencia’s Estadia del Turia.
Interestingly, one of the inventors of the Wavelights Technology, Dutchman Jos Hermens, is the chief executive at Global Sports Communications, the Nijmegen (Netherlands) based athletics management company that handles Kipyegon.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon poses with National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Paul Tergat after breaking the World record in the women's 5000m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
“Yes, tonight was an incredible Wavelight night! Amazing! Much more to follow… It went perfect!,” Hermens reacted to Sunday Nation moments after Kipyegon’s victory.
Kipyegon also offered a word of encouragement to Kenyan women running the 5,000m, saying she didn’t expect to do well over the distance herself, but hastening to add that anything is possible with hard work and focus, noting that the Wavelight Technology aided her very well.
“I want to encourage them to work hard. The 5,000m is not my specialty but it’s not difficult, neither is it easy to run the 12 laps,” she told Sunday Nation exclusively.
“But I didn’t want to focus on the laps or on Gidey or the clock. I just decided to follow the lights because I knew the lights go fast. These days the Wavelight Technology has really assisted us as one just has to concentrate on the lights.
“As you saw, I stopped focusing on Gidey and concentrated on the green lights because I knew it would keep me focused to that I could kick in the last 400 metres… I thank God… I wasn’t expecting this… It’s like I’ve run mad!”
Kipyegon was lost for words at the media mixed zone after the incredible performance.
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon poses after breaking the World record in the women's 5000m event during the IAAF Diamond League "Meeting de Paris" athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 9, 2023.
A race official quickly whisked away the Kenyan superstar’s white Nike racing spikes, ostensibly for procedural compliance testing before the world record is officially ratified by World Athletics.
Kipyegon dedicated her latest record to her long-time coach, Olympic silver medalist Patrick Sang who also handles double Olympic marathon champion and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge under the Global Sports Communication stable.
“Thank you very much Patrick Sang,” she said, emotion clearly etched all over her face.
“He’s been so supportive and brought me from nowhere… I have no words to describe his contribution to my career.”
Women’s 5,000m results at Friday’s Paris Diamond League
1. Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) 14:05.20 (world record)
2. Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia) 14:07.94
3. Ejgayehu Taye (Ethiopia) 14:13.31
4. Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (Kenya) 14:23.05
5. Freweyni Hailu (Ethiopia) 14:23.45
6. Margaret Chelimo (Kenya) 14:23.67
7. Lemlem Hailu (Ethiopia) 14:34.53
8. Alicia Monson (USA) 14:34.88
9. Agnes Jebet (Kenya) 14:36.70
10. Grace Loibach Nawowuna (Kenya) 14:42.63
11. Laura Muir (Great Britain) 14:48.14
12. Elly Henes (USA) 15:04.54
13. Whittni Morgan (USA) 15:20.59
