JUST TO TOE the line in the 1500 final was a monumental task, but nothing could deter defending champion Faith Kipyegon’s quest to reign supreme over one of the Olympics’ most iconic events.
In semi No. I Kipyegon escorted Brits Georgia Bell and Laura Muir, the U.S.’s Elle St. Pierre, Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska and Spain’s Águeda Marqués to the final with her 3:58.64.
But semi No. II was a different story, as Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji needed 3:55.10 to stay ahead of Australia’s Jessica Hull (3:55.40), American Nikki Hiltz (3:56.17), Welteji’s teammate Gudaf Tsegay (3:56.41), Kenya’s Susan Ejore (3:56.57) and France’s Agathe Guillemot (3:56.69) as a dozen broke 4:00.
In the final Tsegay wasted no time in taking the lead. She crossed 400 in a piping hot 59.23 followed by St. Pierre, Hull, Kipyegon and Hiltz.
With the pace slowing, Kipyegon got on Tsegay’s heels and stayed there through 800 (2:03.27), with Welteji, St. Pierre, Hull, Ejore, Bell and Hiltz tightly bunched and Muir 2 seconds back.
At the bell it was Kipyegon with Welteji on her shoulder and Hull, St. Pierre, Bell, Tsegay, Ejore, Hiltz and Muir all charging.
Kipyegon passed 1200 in 3:07.10 and accelerated down the back straight, dropping Ejore, St. Pierre and Hiltz.
With 200 to go, it was Kipyegon, Welteji, Hull, Bell and Muir. With 150 to run, Kipyegon found another gear and established a 5-meter gap that grew with every stride.
Kipyegon would win her third 1500 title going away, but there was a battle raging behind her. Welteji was fading and Hull was primed for 2nd, but Bell was on the move. She passed Welteji 15m from the line and nearly caught Hull for the silver.
Kipyegon’s 3:51.29 broke her own Olympic Record (3:53.11) by nearly 2 seconds, with Hull (3:52.56), Bell (3:52.61) and Welteji (3:52.75) also bettering the old standard. Muir finished 5th in 3:53.37 followed by Ejore (3:56.07), Hiltz (3:56.38) and St. Pierre (3:57.52).
For Bell, not only did she run a 4 second PR, she also broke Muir’s British Record. In fact, Welteji, Muir and Ejore all PRed.
A jubilant Kipyegon reflected that her experience in the 5000 only fueled her desire to win, saying, “After what I went through over the 5000, I didn’t sleep until yesterday. So making it through today is really… I don’t even know how to express this.
“It’s a big, big achievement. I was really looking forward to defending my title [from Rio and Tokyo], and I had a dream. Amazing to me, I completed it. I’m so, so happy.”
An astonished Hull declared, “I envisioned it being a battle, four of us at the top of the straight. I was like, ‘I’m not going to be the one going home without a medal.’ To see Georgia come through, it’s pretty incredible, we’ve just come 2nd and 3rd behind the greatest of all time, it’s just most surreal.”
An equally flabbergasted Bell gushed, “When I saw them come through like 59, 60 seconds I knew it was going to be painful but I also knew I could finish strong so as long as I didn’t let a gap go and I was there with 100 meters to go then I thought I could do it. I just had to dig deep in the middle.
“I just thought, ‘I’m not the fastest person in that race but if I was brave and just got stuck in, then I could make something special happen.’ I am over the moon, an Olympic medalist.”
In the end, the 30-year-old Kipyegon said, “This is history. I managed to make history. I’ve done it.”
WOMEN’s 1500 RESULTS
FINAL (August 10)
(temperature 84F/29C; humidity 40%)
1. Faith Kipyegon (Ken) 3:51.29 (x, 9 W) (OR)
(59.8, 63.7 [2:03.5], 63.6 [3:07.1], 44.1) (14.6, 29.1, 44.1, 59.2, 2:04.0);
2. Jessica Hull (Aus) 3:52.56
(59.8, 64.0 [2:03.8], 63.5 [3:07.3], 45.2) (15.3, 30.2, 45.2, 60.4, 2:05.0);
3. Georgia Bell (GB) 3:52.61 NR (7, x W)
(60.4, 63.6 [2:04.0], 63.4 [3:07.4], 45.2) (15.2, 30.1, 45.2, 60.3, 2:04.9);
4. Diribe Welteji (Eth) 3:52.75 PR (8, x W)
(60.0, 63.6 [2:03.6], 63.7 [3:07.3], 45.4) (15.7, 30.4, 45.4, 60.6, 2:05.3);
5. Laura Muir (GB) 3:53.37 PR (10, x W)
(61.7, 63.9 [2:05.6], 62.7 [3:08.3], 45.0) (15.5, 30.3, 45.0, 60.4, 2:03.9);
6. Susan Ejore (Ken) 3:56.07 PR
(60.1, 63.8 [2:03.9], 64.0 [3:07.9], 48.1) (16.5, 32.3, 48.1, 63.7, 2:08.4);
7. Nikki Hiltz (US) 3:56.38 (x, 8 A)
(59.9, 64.2 [2:04.1], 64.3 [3:08.4], 47.9) (15.8, 32.0, 47.9, 63.7, 2:08.5);
8. Elle St. Pierre (US) 3:57.52
(59.6, 64.1 [2:03.7], 64.0 [3:07.7], 49.8) (17.3, 24.0, 49.8, 65.3, 2:10.0);
9. Agathe Guillemot (Fra) 3:59.08; 10. Klaudia Kazimierska (Pol) 4:00.12 PR; 11. Agueda Marques (Spa) 4:00.31 PR; 12. Gudaf Tsegay (Eth) 4:01.27.
(best-ever mark-for-place: 3–5, 7–8)
HEATS (August 06)
I–1. Tsegay 3:58.84 (fastest-ever first round); 2. Muir 3:58.91; 3. Ejore 3:59.01; 4. Georgia Griffith (Aus) 3:59.22; 5. Guillemot 3:59.22; 6. Emily Mackay (US) 3:59.63; 7. Sophie O’Sullivan (Ire) 4:00.23 PR; 8. Sintayehu Vissa (Ita) 4:00.69 PR; 9. Marques 4:01.60 PR; 10. Lucia Stafford (Can) 4:02.22; 11. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 4:04.28 (advanced on appeal); 12. Vera Hoffmann (Lux) 4:07.64; 13. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 4:09.33; 14. Aleksandra Płocińska (Pol) 4:10.12; 15. Joselyn Daniely Brea (Ven) 4:13.77.
II–1. Welteji 3:59.73; 2. Bell 4:00.29; 3. Hiltz 4:00.42; 4. Kipyegon 4:00.74; 5. Weronika Lizakowska (Pol) 4:01.54 PR; 6. Maia Ramsden (NZ) 4:02.83; 7. Sarah Healy (Ire) 4:02.91; 8. Linden Hall (Aus) 4:03.89; 9. Simone Plourde (Can) 4:06.59; 10. Esther Guerrero (Spa) 4:06.60; 11. Nele Weßel (Ger) 4:08.55; 12. Sara Lappalainen (Fin) 4:08.66; 13. Yume Goto (Jpn) 4:09.41 =PR; 14. Federica Del Buono (Ita) 4:10.14; 15. María Pía Fernández (Uru) 4:19.30.
III–1. Nelly Chepchirchir (Ken) 4:02.67; 2. Hull 4:02.70; 3. Elle St. Pierre 4:03.22; 4. Kazimierska 4:03.49; 5. Salomé Afonso (Por) 4:04.42 PR; 6. Marta Pérez (Spa) 4:04.94; 7. Kristiina Sasínek Mäki (CzR) 4:06.07; 8. Revee Walcott-Nolan (GB) 4:06.44; 9. Elise Vanderelst (Bel) 4:06.95; 10. Winnie Nanyondo (Uga) 4:07.06; 11. Birke Haylom (Eth) 4:07.15; 12. Kate Current (Can) 4:09.81; 13. Ludovica Cavalli (Ita) 4:11.68; 14. Farida Abaroge (Eth) 4:29.27.
REPECHAGE (August 07)
I–1. Haylom 4:01.47; 2. Cavalli 4:02.46; 3. Guerrero 4:03.15; 4. O’Sullivan 4:03.73; 5. Stafford 4:04.26; 6. Brea 4:05.93; 7. Del Buono 4:06.00; 8. Nanyondo 4:06.35; 9. Weßel 4:07.22; 10. Current 4:08.91; 11. Goto 4:10.40; 12. Abaroge 4:30.53;… dns—Lappalainen.
II–1. Vissa 4:06.71; 2. Walcott-Nolan 4:06.73; 3. Marques 4:07.05; 4. Healy 4:07.60; 5. Sasínek Mäki 4:07.80; 6. Plourde 4:08.49; 7. Vanderelst 4:08.86; 8. Hall 4:09.05; 9. Płocińska 4:09.47; 10. Hoffmann 4:11.28; 11. Tracey 4:14.52; 12. Fernández 4:16.46.
SEMIS (August 08)
I–1. Kipyegon 3:58.64; 2. Bell 3:59.49; 3. Elle St. Pierre 3:59.74; 4. Muir 3:59.83; 5. Kazimierska 4:00.21 PR; 6. Marques 4:01.90; 7. Guerrero 4:01.94; 8. Ramsden 4:02.20 NR; 9. Griffith 4:02.69; 10. Haylom 4:03.11; 11. Chepchirchir 4:03.24; 12. Cavalli 4:03.59.
II–1. Welteji 3:55.10 (fastest-ever semifinal); 2. Hull 3:55.40; 3. Hiltz 3:56.17 (x, 6 A); 4. Tsegay 3:56.41; 5. Ejore 3:56.57 PR; 6. Guillemot 3:56.69 NR; 7. Lizakowska 3:57.31 NR (fastest-ever non-qualifier); 8. Pérez 3:57.75 NR; 9. Walcott-Nolan 3:58.08 PR; 10. Vissa 3:58.11 NR; 11. Tanaka 3:59.70; 12. Afonso 3:59.96 PR; 13. Mackay 4:02.03.(best-ever mark-for-place: 9–10)
