Faith Kipyegon has done it again. The Kenyan superstar claimed her record fourth world title in the women’s 1,500m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, stopping the clock at 3:52.15. Teammate Dorcus Ewoi took silver and Australia’s Jessica Hull earned bronze—Australia’s first-ever medal in this event.
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| Faith Kipyegon | Image: Erik van Leeuwen, attribution: Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia)., GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons |
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Key takeaways
- Fourth world 1500m crown for Faith Kipyegon, cementing her as the greatest women’s long distance runner in history.
- Time: 3:52.15 in a front-running masterclass in Tokyo.
- Podium: Dorcus Ewoi (KEN) silver, Jessica Hull (AUS) bronze—Hull’s medal is a national first in this event.
- Historic context: Kipyegon becomes the first woman to win four world titles in any distance-running event.
How the 1500m final was won
From the gun, Kipyegon controlled the rhythm and positioning. She kept the pace honest, ran the curves smoothly, and squeezed the field with a relentless final 600 meters. There were no chaotic jostles, no late surprises—just a champion dictating terms and delivering on the biggest stage. It looked less like a tactical dogfight and more like a time trial at championship speed—classic Kipyegon.
The podium picture
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Gold: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) — 3:52.15
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Silver: Dorcus Ewoi (KEN) — 3:54.92 (PB)
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Bronze: Jessica Hull (AUS) — 3:55.16 (first Australian medal in this event)
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4th: Nelly Chepchirchir (KEN) — 3:55.25 (PB)
Why this title matters
Winning one world title is hard. Winning four in the same event is almost unheard of. With this victory, Kipyegon not only pulls level with men’s legend Hicham El Guerrouj on total 1500m world titles; she also becomes the first woman ever to collect four world golds in a distance event. That’s a line in the record books that may stand for a very long time.
And remember, this is layered on top of her Olympic dominance. Kipyegon is a three-time Olympic champion in the 1500m—Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024—setting an Olympic record of 3:51.29 in Paris. How’s that for longevity and peak performance?
A season for the ages
If you’re wondering whether Tokyo was a one-off burst—far from it. In July, Kipyegon lowered her own 1500m world record to 3:48.68 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. World Athletics has since ratified the mark, confirming what we all saw: she’s operating on a different plane.
She also continues to rewrite what’s possible over the mile. Kipyegon owns the official mile world record at 4:07.64 (Monaco 2023) and this June ran a blistering 4:06.42 in a special exhibition in Paris—an all-time women’s “world best” that wasn’t record-eligible but still showed just how close she is to a sub-4:00 barrier that once seemed unthinkable.
What makes Kipyegon different?
At championship level, many finals turn cautious—slow early laps, mad-last-lap sprints. Kipyegon flips that script. She’s comfortable from the front, brave with pace, and ruthless when she decides it’s time to go. That confidence comes from years of racing—and winning—at the very top, and from a season where racing the clock felt as natural as racing rivals.
Ask yourself, "Who’s going to beat her when she’s in this mood?" Rivals like Diribe Welteji, Jessica Hull, and others are closing the gap, but Kipyegon keeps raising the bar. The Tokyo final offered the latest reminder: when the tempo tightens, she has another gear. And then another.
Final thought
Faith Kipyegon’s fourth world title isn’t just another medal. It’s a marker of an era. With a fresh world record this summer, an Olympic record last year, and a Tokyo performance that felt inevitable from the first step, the “Queen of 1,500m” wears her crown lightly—and keeps running away from the field.
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