Faith Kipyegon confident of breaking another record
Double World Record holder Faith Kipyegon is confident of breaking her third world record in a space of two months when she steps into the Louis II Stadium in Monaco this evening for the Wanda Diamond League meeting.
Given that Faith Kipyegon is the Olympic and world 1,500m champion and has already set two consecutive world records, it is highly unlikely that anyone would bet against her setting a third world record.
After completing another short training block at her Global Communications base in Kaptagat, she is expected to rejoin the series and continue her impressive performance.
Kipyegon went on a record-breaking spree in June, becoming the first woman to crack 3:50 for the 1,500m as she set a new global standard of 3:49.11 in Florence (2 June) and then a week later followed up with an even more impressive run exactly one week later in Paris, when she brought down the 5,000m world record, clocking 14:05.20.
Now, she turns her attention to the mile, where her personal best of 4:16.71 was set in 2015 when she was a full 10 seconds slower over 1500m than she is this year. The mile world record stands at 4:12.33, set by Kipyegon’s long-time rival Sifan Hassan on the Stade Louis II track at Hercules in 2019. If Kipyegon’s progress this year is reflected in this race, then another exhilarating performance is on its way.
“I’m going for my third world record in Monaco where I will be running a mile. I’m in great shape at the moment and there is nothing stopping me from breaking another record in Monaco,” Kipyegon told People Sport. She added:
“I see myself winning the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya’s (SJAK) Sports Personality of the Month award three times in a row, because after being feted with the June award, I see myself getting the July award because I’m going to break another record in Monaco, then again be awarded the August accolades, because I will win two gold medals at the World Athletics championships in Budapest, Hungary.”
A quintet of current world record-holders top the billing for the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco with Kipyegon, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Yulimar Rojas, Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm using the EBS Herculis Meeting to tune up for the World Athletics Championships which get underway in Budapest in less than a month.
A strong field has also been assembled around her, including Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir (PB of 4:18.03), Oceanian record-holder Jessica Hull of Australia (4:18.24) and US 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz (4:18.38).
Monaco has become a middle-distance runner’s paradise in recent years, with world records also set over the men’s 5,000m and women’s 3,000m steeplechase
Another fine men’s 5,000m field has been assembled this year, headed by this year’s world leader Berihu Aregawi (12:40.45) and a high-class quartet of his Ethiopian compatriots – Telahun Bekele, Hagos Gebrhiwet, Samuel Tefera and Kuma Girma – as well as Uganda’s world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo, Kenyans Nicholas Kipkorir and Jacob Krop and leading Europeans Mohamed Katir of Spain and Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy.
The men’s 800m has five of the six fastest men this year, including pace-setting Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi (world leader with 1:43.27), Wycliffe Kinyamal and Olympic and world champion Emmanual Korir, in-form Canadian Marco Arop (1:43.30 this year), as well as emerging Algerian duo Slimane Moula and Djamel Sedjati, who have both run well under 1:44 this year.