PARIS, France, Aug 2 – World Champion Faith Kipyegon led Kenya’s powerful trio of Commonwealth Games winner Beatrice Chebet and Margaret Chelimo into the women’s 5000m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Kipyegon, the double Olympic champion in 1500m, termed her 5000m heat victory “a final before the final”.
Her Heat was loaded with heavyweight’s that were spearheaded by defending champion from Tokyo 2020 Games Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and world champion Gudaf Tsegay from Ethiopia.
Following her winning start to the ongoing Olympics in the French Capital, trailblazing Kipyegon now has a clear image of how the 5000m final race will play out and she is not resting on her laurels.
Kipyegon will be competing for a 1500m, going for a third consecutive title and 5000m double, but reckons that the star-studded nature of 5000m finalists cannot be taken lightly.
Kipyegon will take on Sifan, who came second behind her in the heats, 10,000m world record holder compatriot Chebet who also won her heat and Tokyo bronze medalist Gudaf among others.
Asked about her thoughts on the heats, Kipyegon predicted a tough final on Monday given the star-studded field of athletes qualified.
Kipyegon comfortably cruised to victory in her loaded 5,000m heat, leading Sifan and compatriot Chelimo into the final.
She will be joined by world silver medalist Chebet who also easily won heat two to also make the final.
Sifan, 31, opened her Paris 2024 campaign with the women’s 5000m, and will be taking on the women’s 10,000m on August 9 before partaking in the marathon on August 11.
Kipyegon: “It was a really strong heat, but I thank God I was able to secure a ticket to the final. I’m looking forward to the final and I hope to do my best. It was a strong field, because when I saw my opponents, I was like this is going to be a very fast race.”
–A purple track at the Stade de France—
In an Olympic first, athletes in Paris are competing on a purple track at the Stade de France. It’s a move away from the more traditional red-brick clay color that fans are used to seeing.
The track is actually composed of two shades of purple, too: The competition area and track itself features a lighter shade of purple, while the technical areas are a darker shade.
Asked about the changes, Kiyegon explained: “The track is purple, it’s really good. It feels good on the feet. You know when you are running on a new track and a new tartan the feeling is different. But to be cheered on from gun to tape was just amazing. I could see the crowd explode into thunderous cheers.”
“We were more than 13 and I was just thinking that this would be the fastest last lap, if not a cliffhanger. I had to position myself and see how many people would come from the back.”
She added, “This is a championship, you never know what’s going to happen, its only that you have to prepare mentally and just execute, see how your body is responding and just run your race. It is not all about other people but all about yourself.”