Kipyegon showed her class once again, winning her semi-final with a time of 4:00.34, to book her place in the final, while Nelly Chepchirchir and Dorcus Ewoi joined her in the final showdown slated for Tuesday at the National Stadium.
Chepchirchir topped her semi-final Heat 2 with an impressive time of 4:06.86, edging Australia’s Jessica Hull by just 0.01 seconds, while fellow Kenyan Ewoi finished second behind her, after clocking an impressive 4:00.65.
‘We are going for top-three finish’
Speaking after the race, Kipyegon, who is the world record holder for the 1500 metres and the mile, and the former world record holder for the 5000 metres, sounded confident that Kenya would sweep the medals on offer.
“Our biggest goal before the race was the four of us to make it to the final, but unfortunately Susan (Ejore) didn’t make it, but the three of us who made it hope for the best, and we hope this time round we are going to do a top three finish in the final coming up on Tuesday,” said Kipyegon, who is the only three-time Olympic champion in the 1500m, having won a gold medal each at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On how she anticipates the final to be like, Kipyegon responded: “Every year is very different, every year comes with a different game plan, and you see what is happening now, many people are falling out, so that is my worry but I hope on Tuesday, I will stay focused, and be myself towards the biggest goal, and we hope we will do our best to make sure that we do a beautiful race.”
She concluded: “Crossing that finish line filled me with so much joy, and when I looked back and saw Dorcus (Ewoi) right behind me, my heart was even happier. This moment means everything, and now it’s up to us to give our very best in the finals on Tuesday.”
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kipyegon became the first athlete ever to win three consecutive gold medals in the 1500m women’s race, where she also set a new Olympic record. In addition to the 1500m, she had previously earned a silver medal in the women’s 5000m, after successfully appealing a disqualification.
Ewoi happy to run alongside Kipyegon
Meanwhile, Ewoi credited her qualification to the final for running alongside Kipyegon. She said: “I am so grateful and happy, I gave it my all, and my focus now is on the final on Tuesday. Running with Faith (Kipyegon), gave me so much motivation.”
Ewoi, who is based in the United States of America, finished fifth at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships before turning pro with Puma. In 2024, she defeated Olympic gold medallist Athing Mu to win the Holloway Pro Classic 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting.
Elsewhere, Kenya’s sprint star Ferdinand Omanyala missed out on the 100m final after finishing fifth. The 29-year-old clocked 10.09 seconds in Heat 2 of the semis, falling short of the top two automatic qualifying spots.
