Kenyan Faith Kipyegon has again proved why she is the best lady in the 1500m challenge as she defended her gold medal in the women’s 1500m at the World Athletics Championships 2023 (Budapest, Hungary). The 29-year-old is the first female to win three gold medals in the World Athletics Championships history.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Women’s 1500 Metres – The Race and Its Undoubted Champion
On the fourth day of the World Athletics Championships 2023 (August 23), the last two-time Summer Olympic gold medallist, Faith Kipyegon, comfortably won the gold medal in the women’s 1500m event. While she was always front from the beginning of the race with close gaps from many other top racers, she proved her domination in the final 200m, where she became untouchable by others.
With her latest Championship medal, Kipyegon became the first athlete in the women’s 1500m to win three gold medals at the World Athletics Championships history. She also won the gold medals in the 2017 and 2022 editions, while the Kenyan won a silver medal in the 2019 edition.
In 2023, outstanding Kipyegon hasn’t lost any gold medal races as she has dominated in the 10k, 5000m, 1 mile run along with 1500m.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Women’s 1500 Metres – The other shiners
The 21-year-old Ethiopian Diribe Welteji surprised the world by snatching the silver medal after finishing the race in 3:55.69.
The two-time Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medallist and two-time World Championships 2019 gold medallist (including in the women’s 1500m), Dutch star Sifan Hassan, claimed a bronze medal by finishing the race in 3:56.00.
On the opening day of the ongoing Budapest Championships, Hassan had a terrible finish in the women’s 10,000m race as she fell just before the finishing line to miss out on a gold medal.
Though Irish Ciara Mageean (3:56.61) and Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir (3:57.90) managed the national record and personal best, respectively, those weren’t enough for them to secure a podium finish.
World Athletics Championships 2023: Women’s 1500 Metres (Final Status/Top 10)
Rank | Athlete | Country | Time |
1 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 3:54.87 |
2 | Diribe Welteji | Ethiopia | 3:55.69 |
3 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands | 3:56.00 |
4 | Ciara Mageean | Ireland | 3:56.61 (NR) |
5 | Nelly Chepchirchir | Kenya | 3:57.90 (PB) |
6 | Laura Muir | Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 3:58.58 |
7 | Jessica Hull | Australia | 3:59.54 |
8 | Katie Snowden | Great Britain & Northern Ireland | 3:59.65 |
9 | Birke Haylom | Ethiopia | 4:01.51 |
10 | Cory McGee | United States | 4:01.60 |
(NOTE: NR = National Record; PB = Personal Best)
What did Faith Kipyegon say?
Kipyegon said after her historic Championship gold medal, "As the world record holder and defending champion you go to the front and control the race and just run your race. So I ran my race and it looked so easy. I was quickest through the 400m and I knew going to the bell I had to push harder and harder. This win has motivated me a lot now going (into the 5000m); I know everything is possible now."
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