Kipyegon hints at switching to 5000m race

Brilliant double Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon is contemplating a gradual switch from her trademark women’s 1500m to 5000m in the future.

Kipyegon, reigning World champion over the distance ran flawlessly, braving the windy and dusty Lobo Village in Eldoret to claim her maiden victory in 10km at the World Cross Country Tour race dubbed Sirikiwa Classic.

The middle distance runner is now optimistic about a good season, after winning the second edition of Sirikwa Classic after she outsprinted Commonwealth Games 3000m steeplechase champion Jackline Jepkoech clocking 33.50.

Kipyegon, 29, was in absolute ecstasy after the win and revealed that she is pondering the possibility of racing in women’s 5000m after a painless success at the Sirikiwa Classic.

“For sure I did not expect to win this race. When I left home, I had told my daughter to cheer me up to run well. I’m glad to have won. I ran without pressure and it was a big motivation even to see the fans clapping endlessly.

“This means a lot for me in my athletics career, I interact with my friends who are marathoners and I also hope to compete in the long-distance races in future”, Kipyegon told People Daily Sports.

Track and field season

About her switch to 5000m Kipyegon said, “Absolutely yes, this year I am still going to the drawing board with my coach and see what is possible but in my heart, I will switch gradually from 1500m to 5000m”.

Kipyegon additionally revealed that her participation in the 10km senior women’s race at the Sirikiwa Classic was inspired by two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri and 2020 men’s 1500m Tokyo Olympic champion Jacob Ingebrigtsen who have juggled and excelled in various athletics distances.

With the truck and field season set for resumption, Kipyegon is looking for another great performance to replicate or better her top shape last year that saw her win her second gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.

She also bagged the Diamond League title with a scintillating show in the Monaco leg where she narrowly missed on Genzebe Dibaba’s eight-year-long record of 3:50.07 after clocking 3:50:37.

In general, she won all her six 1500m races last year a feat that promoted her to win the 2022 SOYA Sports Woman of the year award.

Kipyegon holds the national record in the 1500m event at 3:50.37. Her best over 5000m is impressive as well, as she has run the 12.5 lap track race in the time of 14:31.95.

She earned Olympic gold in the 1500m distance at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. She has medalled four times at the World Athletics Championships, picking up two silver and two gold. Kipyegon is an 18-time Diamond League winner in the 800m, 1500m, and 1609m mile