Three-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon on Saturday, April 26, 2025, nearly kicked off the Diamond League season with some history in the 1000m.

Kipyegon nearly set a personal best with a dominant run of 2 minutes and 29.21 seconds, beating Australian runner Abbey Caldwell, who ran 2:32.94.

The spirited fight from the three-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1500 meters saw her claim the Xiamen Diamond League, the first of the season.

Kipyegon re-established the world lead, topping Georgia Griffith’s 2:34.50 time from March.

She nearly smashed the world record held by Svetlana Masterkova, which has stood since 1996 (2:28.98). Kipyegon already holds the Diamond League record, setting it in 2020 in Monaco with a time of 2:29.15.

Close call 👀

🇰🇪's Faith Kipyegon just misses out on the 1000m world record with 2:29.21 in Xiamen 😤

📸 Marta Gorczyńska for @Diamond_League #DiamondLeague pic.twitter.com/CGTWJhl9X7

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) April 26, 2025

One step at a time

Speaking before the race, Kipyegon had cooled down talk of breaking the world record in the games.

Kipyegon said that she had set her sights on making a good start to her 2025 outdoor track season with the 1000m at the Xiamen Diamond League in China.

This was after she was touted to break the 29-year-old world record of 2:28.98, set by Svetlana Masterkova in 1996.

“As I said earlier, I don’t want to talk about breaking records for now, but I’ll say now impossible can be possible; that is the dream,” she stated.

“What is in mind is to start my season. I can’t talk about the world record, but we will see after the finish line. I have the second fastest, and this will be my second 1000 M, and I hope to run the best and see how Xiamen leads ahead of Tokyo,” she added.

JUST OUTSIDE 🤏

Faith Kipyegon 🇰🇪 just misses the World Record in the women’s 1000m.

She goes a stellar 2:29.21 but will have to continue to chase what alludes her!

📸 Marta Gorczyńska for Diamond League AG#DiamondLeague 💎 #XiamenDL 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/b0PleJQwc5

— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) April 26, 2025

The Xiamen race and the results will precede her attempt to enter the record books as the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile.

Kipyegon will make a stab for the record this summer in Paris, France, on June 26 at the Stade Charléty.

Together with her team and sponsor Nike, they have laid out plans “to make the impossible possible,” dubbed “Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile.”