Faith Kipyegon wins 4th World Championships title in Tokyo
By Joel Masibo, September 16, 2025Kenya’s sensation Faith Kipyegon won Kenya’s third gold at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the 1500M on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.
Kipyegon clocked 3:52.15 to win her fourth World Championships 1500m title, writing history at the competition after winning gold in 2017, 2022, 2023, and 2025.
Dorcus Ewoi, running fearlessly on her World Championship debut, clocked 3:52.02 to win silver for Kenya. The duo delivered a Kenya 1-2 finish in the women’s 1500m and pushed Team Kenya’s medal count to five at the ongoing World Championships.
At 31, Kipyegon joined retired Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj as the only athlete ever to claim four world titles in the 1500m. Coming off her third consecutive Olympic gold last year, she extended her dominance with a third straight world crown, dictating the race from the outset before breaking away on the final lap.
The reigning world record holder has now triumphed in each of the last five global finals and, apart from preliminary heats, has remained unbeaten over the distance for more than four years.
Australia’s Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull, who tried to keep up with Kipyegon’s surge, faded to third place, while Dorcus Ewoi ensured a Kenyan 1-2 finish.
Kipyegon’s victory was emphatic, stopping the clock at 3:52.15, nearly three seconds ahead of Ewoi, underlining the gulf between her and the rest of the field.
“I just want to thank God,” Kipyegon told BBC Sport.
“I knew I was capable of defending my world title after breaking the world record [earlier this year]. I thank God that I was strong today.
“I just wanted to run comfortably without pushes and falls, because I was a little bit scared seeing people falling. I just wanted to be by myself and run my race.”
Kipyegon started the year by just missing the world 1000m record in April. She later improved her 1500m world record to 3:48.68 in July and was within a second of breaking the 3,000m record, which has stood for 32 years.
Under the new government rewards scheme, Faith Kipyegon will receive Ksh3 million for winning gold in the 1500m in Tokyo, while silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi will take home Ksh2 million.