“Was Perhaps the world’s greatest 1500-meters athlete of all time, forget the perhaps now, she is 100% best ever, a world record here in Florence with the greatest 1500 meters runner of all time, sensational and she did it smartly. That’s the way to do it!” This was the race’s commentator after Faith Kipyegon smashed the 1500 meters women’s world record.
After the 1500 meters women’s world record was set back in 2015 by Genzebe Dibaba (3: 50:07), Faith Kipyegon made it her mission to break it.
She came agonizingly close on two occasions; in the Monaco Diamond League (3: 50:37, and 3:51:07) which were the second and fourth fastest times in the event’s history.
Under the lights of the Florence Diamond League, Kipyegon made history after not only breaking the World record but smashing it. She ran an unbelievable 3:49:11 to become the only female athlete in the discipline to achieve the feat.
“I am really thankful, today was a wonderful day in which everything came together. The world record was in my mind since last year, but I wanted to approach it slowly by slowly to see what was possible this year. I can’t believe it!
Now I have achieved what I wanted and what was in my heart and my mind. All the athletes waiting for me at the finish line made me emotional. Thanks so much for all the support, it means a lot,” she wrote on her socials after the race.
After the triumph, Kipyegon, a mother of one, disclosed that she was planning on shifting to the 5000 meters after the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
