Peerless Faith in third Olympics 1,500m gold, Wanyonyi shines

Faith Kipyegon on Saturday, August 10, became the first athlete in history to win three straight Olympics titles in women’s 1,500 metres race, staging a dominant run to win in an Olympic Games record time of three minutes,51.29 seconds.

At the same time, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi stormed to victory in men’s 800m final, while Rodgers Kwemoi claimed silver medal in men’s 5,000m final.

The 30-year-old Kipyegon now boasts both the Olympic record (3:51.29) and the world record (3:49.04).

Kipyegon ran a tactical race to win ahead of Australian Jessica Hull who claimed silver medal in 3:52.56, and Briton Georgia Bell who claimed bronze in a time of 3:52.61.

The Ethiopian tactic of running a fast-paced race from the word go fell flat as Kipyegon blazed to victory to claim a brilliant gold and Olympic record on the final night of track action at the Stade de France. She is the first athlete - male or female - to have won gold in the event at three different editions of the Olympic Games. She won gold over 1,500m at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Olympic titles

Before Saturday’s gold medal, Kipyegon jointly held the most Olympic titles with 1976 and 1980 winner Tatyana Kazankina from Russia and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe (1980 and 1984), but now she is the clear holder after her third Olympic 1,500m title on the trot.

Another Kenyan, Susan Ejore, finished sixth in 3:56.07.

It was the second medal for Kipyegon at the Paris Olympics after snatching silver behind her compatriot Beatrice Chebet in the 5,000m on Monday.

At the same time, 2023 World Athletics Championships silver medallist Wanyonyi of Kenya stormed to victory in men’s 800m final.

Wanyonyi led from gun to tape, beating Canada’s Marco Arop in a photo finish. He won in a personal best time of 1:41.19 ahead of the former Olympics champion Arop who clocked 1:41.20. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati settled for a bronze medal in 1:41.50.

Last year, Wanyonyi claimed silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary behind Canada’s Marco Arop.

David Rudisha has the fastest time over the distance, having clocked 1:40.91 which is a world record in the two-lap race at the 2012 London Olympic Games. The second fastest man over the distance is Kenyan-born Dane Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11).

Fatest man

Wanyonyi also became the fastest man to run under 1:42 in Kenyan soil during the Kenyan trials held from June 14 to 15 at Nyayo National Stadium, where he clocked 1:41.70.

At the same time, Kwemoi claimed silver in men’s 5,000m final.

Kwemoi sprinted to second place after the final bend to give Kenya its first medal in the 12-and-a-half lap race at the Olympics in over a decade.

Kenya came out empty-handed in this category at the Rio 2016 Olympics and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, so it was a superb performance from Kwemoi who timed 13:15.04. Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen took gold in 13:13.66 and American Grant Fisher settled for bronze in 13:15.13.

Other Kenyans to have won a medal in men’s 5,000m at the Olympics are John Ngugi (gold 1988 Seoul), and silver medalists Kipchoge Keino (1968 Mexico City), Paul Bitok (1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta) and Eliud Kipchoge (2008 Beijing). Naftali Temu bagged bronze at 1968 Games, same as Eliud Kipchoge (2004 Athens), Edwin Soi (2008 Beijing) and Thomas Longosiwa (2012 London).

Kenya moved up four places on the medals table to 22nd out of the 205 teams competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics after Emmanuel Wanyonyi struck gold in 800 metres in a new personal best of 1:41.19.