NO SURPRISES. Faith Kipyegon, after 4 global gold medals at 1500 and 3 World Records in a stunning 50-day span, came to Budapest with a claim to being the strongest favorite of the meet. The only point of suspense for her fans and her competitors centered on how she would do it.
In fact, the biggest surprise of the competition was how the second semi went. In the first, Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir was first across the line in 4:02.14. Cory McGee qualified in 4th after Sinclaire Johnson ran wide on the last lap to let her teammate out of a box. Johnson then faded to a non-qualifying 11th in 4:06.39. Team(USA) work?
Then came Kipyegon’s semi. Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji sparked the pace with a 61.89 opening lap. Kipyegon took over before 600 for a short while and then Sifan Hassan jumped in front, continuing the fast clip, 2:07.99. That didn’t shake anyone, as the entire field passed that post within a second. Running side-by-side, Hassan and Kipyegon kept upping the ante, passing 1200 in 3:11.10. That put paid to USATF champ Nikki Hiltz’s hopes, as all of the others had better acceleration after the torrid pace.
Kipyegon led a parade of fast times, closing the fastest-ever non-final, 3:55.14, with a 58.71. Welteji was inches behind at 3:55.18. Hassan (3:55.48), Briton’s Laura Muir (3:56.36) and Kate Snowden (3:56.72 PR) came next, and Australian Jessica Hull was the final qualifier with her 3:57.85.
Not advancing were three others who broke 4:00, including Adelle Tracey with her Jamaican record 3:58.77. Hiltz finished 11th at 4:00.84.
Doubtless, some of those runners had second thoughts about the elimination of “little Q” time qualifiers in the middle distances, what with Tracey running the fastest non-qualifier ever by more than 3 seconds, while the 9th- and 10th-placers ran the fastest marks ever for those places.
The challenge of recovering from that semi, plus the fact that the 5000 heats would be the day after the 1500 final, might have influenced Kipyegon to opt for a slow first two laps. She sprinted to the front immediately, then eased up, passing 400 in 65.14 and the next lap in 66.62.
With 500 to go, she started kicking, covering the next 200 in 28.99, passing 1200 in 3:12.41. Only Welteji remained a threat at that point.
Kipyegon hit 13.62 on the backstretch 100, then left Welteji behind with a final 200 of 28.84. She captured an unprecedented third 1500 crown in 3:54.87. Behind her Hassan made a final bid to pass the Ethiopian, but 21-year-old Welteji easily held her off, 3:55.69–3:56.00. Ciara Mageean stayed near the front of the pack throughout and was rewarded with 4th in an Irish Record 3:56.61.
Kipyegon, who closed in 55.75 and 1:59.83, said, “That was my plan to get to the front and to go faster because I know these races can be up and down. I just got myself in front after 300m and nobody was coming. I was chasing history today and I was chasing this title.”
And her thoughts on the 5000, which would start the next day? “I am looking forward to it.”
WOMEN’S 1500 RESULTS
FINAL (August 22)
1. Faith Kipyegon (Ken) 3:54.87 (14.70, 28.84, 55.75, 1:59.83)
(65.14, 66.64 [2:11.78], 60.63 [3:12.41], 42.46) ;
2. Diribe Welteji (Eth) 3:55.69 (14.83, 29.27, 57.45, 2:00.57);
3. Sifan Hassan (Neth) 3:56.00 (15.23, 29.25, 57.35, 2:00.20);
4. Ciara Mageean (Ire) 3:56.61 NR (15.55, 29.82, 58.29, 2:01.60);
5. Nelly Chepchirchir (Ken) 3:57.90 PR (15.71, 31.03, 59.49, 2:02.58);
6. Laura Muir (GB) 3:58.58 (15.38, 30.66, 60.20, 2:03.31);
7. Jessica Hull (Aus) 3:59.54 (15.66, 30.77, 60.62, 2:03.47);
8. Katie Snowden (GB) 3:59.65 (15.61, 31.01, 60.89, 2:04.37);
9. Birke Haylom (Eth) 4:01.51 (16.24, 32.19, 62.51, 2:05.89);
10. Cory McGee (US) 4:01.60 (16.37, 32.20, 62.78, 2:06.09);
11. Ludovica Cavalli (Ita) 4:01.84 PR;
12. Melissa Courtney-Bryant (GB) 4:03.31.
HEATS (August 19)
I–1. Hassan 4:02.92; 2. Muir 4:03.50; 3. Nikki Hiltz (US) 4:03.76; 4. Edina Jebitok (Ken) 4:04.09; 5. Abbey Caldwell (Aus) 4:04.16; 6. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 4:04.36; 7. Lucia Stafford (Can) 4:05.21; 8. Alma Cortes (Mex) 4:06.03 PR; 9. Claudia Bobocea (Rom) 4:06.07; 10. Sofia Ennaoui (Pol) 4:06.47; 11. Nathalie Blomqvist (Fin) 4:06.93 PR; 12. Vera Hoffmann (Lux) 4:09.76; 13. Jaqueline Beatriz Weber (Bra) 4:14.46 PR; 14. Şilan Ayyıldız (Tur) 4:14.96.
II–1. Kipyegon 4:02.62; 2. Welteji 4:02.72; 3. Sarah Healy (Ire) 4:03.00; 4. Gaia Sabbatini (Ita) 4:03.04; 5. Courtney-Bryant 4:03.14; 6. Esther Guerrero (Spa) 4:04.33; 7. Sofia Thøgersen (Den) 4:05.34 NR; 8. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 4:06.18; 9. Aleksandra Płocińska (Pol) 4:06.39 PR; 10. Hanna Hermansson (Swe) 4:06.42; 11. Salomé Afonso (Por) 4:06.55; 12. Carina Viljoen (SA) 4:11.02; 13. Lili Anna Vindics-Tóth (Hun) 4:11.08 =PR; 14. Elise Vanderelst (Bel) 4:11.55.
III–1. Chepchirchir 4:00.87 (fastest-ever first round of 3); 2. Sinclaire Johnson (US) 4:01.09; 3. Haylom 4:01.12; 4. Snowden 4:01.15; 5. Marta Pérez (Spa) 4:01.41; 6. Linden Hall (Aus) 4:01.45; 7. Sintayehu Vissa (Ita) 4:01.66 PR (fastest non-Q ever); 8. Sophie O’Sullivan (Ire) 4:02.15 PR; 9. Kristiina Mäki (CzR) 4:06.90; 10. Simone Plourde (Can) 4:07.04; 11. Eliza Megger (Pol) 4:09.22; 12. Yume Goto (Jpn) 4:10.22; 13. Thi Oanh II Nguyen (Vie) 4:12.28 PR; 14. Joceline Wind (Swi) 4:14.86.
IV–1. Hirut Meshesha (Eth) 4:03.47; 2. Hull 4:03.50; 3. Mageean 4:03.52; 4. McGee 4:03.61; 5. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 4:03.67; 6. Cavalli 4:03.81; 7. Purity Chepkirui (Ken) 4:04.51 PR; 8. Agueda Muńoz (Spa) 4:06.41; 9. Kate Current (Can) 4:07.23 PR; 10. Marta Pen Freitas (Por) 4:07.74; 11. Amalie Manshus Sæten (Nor) 4:08.08 PR; 12. Winnie Nanyondo (Uga) 4:10.55; 13. Fedra Aldana Luna (Arg) 4:19.00;… dnf—Greza Bakraqi (Kos).
SEMIS (August 20)
I–1. Chepchirchir 4:02.14; 2. Haylom 4:02.46; 3. Mageean 4:02.70; 4. McGee 4:02.71; 5. Courtney-Bryant 4:02.79; 6. Cavalli 4:02.83 PR; 7. Pérez 4:02.96; 8. Hall 4:03.96; 9. Meshesha 4:04.27; 10. Jebitok 4:05.41; 11. Johnson 4:06.39; 12. Tanaka 4:06.71.
II–1. Kipyegon 3:55.14 (fastest prelim ever); 2. Welteji 3:55.18; 3. Hassan 3:55.48; 4. Muir 3:56.36; 5. Snowden 3:56.72 PR; 6. Hull 3:57.85; 7. Tracey 3:58.77 NR (fastest non-Q ever); 8. Healy 3:59.68 PR; 9. Caldwell 3:59.79 PR; 10. Guerrero 4:00.13 PR; 11. Hiltz 4:00.84;… dnf—Sabbatini.
(best-ever mark-for-place: 9–10)
