Season in Review: Faith Kipyegon’s record-breaking year and enviable Olympic legacy

Faith Kipyegon has enjoyed a record-breaking season on the track, claiming an unprecedented third Olympic medal in 1500 meters, setting new records, and even getting involved in Olympic controversies in the 5000m race in which she was initially disqualified due to obstruction to Ethiopian world record holder Gudaf Tsegay but later had her silver reinstated following a successful appeal by Kenyan officials.

Last week, she called an end to her stellar 2024 campaign, marking another extraordinary year at the top of world athletics.

Kipyegon entered the Olympic year as the reigning 1,500m and 5,00m world champion and 1,500m world record holder after starting her season late at the National Olympic trials at Nyayo Stadium in mid-June.

Some questions were raised about her form upon the start of the two-day event, having not raced all year due to an injury.

However, all doubts were swiftly put to rest, as she went toe-to-toe with 10,000m world-record holder Beatrice Chebet in the 5,000m on day 1 and won with a time of 14:46.28.

Kipyegon stamped her authority on that day against the 24-year-old star but would not race another 5,000m event until the Paris Olympics.

The following day, Kipyegon stormed to a comfortable 1,500m victory on the 15th of June, clocking 3:53.99, the fastest women’s 1,500m time ever on Kenyan soil with her latest conquest underlining her dominance in the middle distance race.

Just a month later, she ran the fastest 1,500m in history at the Paris Diamond League, bettering her 1,500m World Record with a 3:49.04 – 0.07 seconds faster than her previous best in Florence in June 2023. 

She was in the best shape she had ever been, just weeks away from the Games, a damning prospect for her competition checking the timesheets.

The Olympic Rivalry

Faith’s next appearance was at her main goal of the year, the Olympics. Her Games began with the 5,000m heats on the 2nd of August, where she ran a conservative race 11 seconds slower than her effort at the National Trials, but it was all she needed to take the win in her heat.

That race took her straight to a stacked 5,000m final on August 6th. Faith’s main rival, Gudaf Tsegay, who stole her 5,000m world record just months after setting it in 2023, was on the start line. So was the defending Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and an on-form Beatrice Chebet.

The Kenyans paced much of the race before Tsegay led a charge to the front with two laps to go, which resulted in a tangle between herself and Kipyegon as she moved forward.

Both runners battled to stay on their feet, with flailing hands and fierce facial expressions briefly taking the spotlight.

The race continued, with Kipyegon going on to finish second behind Chebet. A Kenyan 1-2 at the Olympic Games! The country celebrated!

Soon after the race, however, Kipyegon was deemed at fault for the incident with Tsegay on the penultimate lap and was disqualified for “obstruction.”

As a result, Sifan Hassan moved up to 2nd while Italy’s Nadia Battocletti took bronze.

A fierce debate, both online and on the international media, ensued regarding whether the verdict was justified. Kenya was shocked, Kipyegon in tears –  her silver medal had been taken away from her.

In a post-race interview, the victor, Chebet, responded to the decision, saying, “I’m very sad about what happened to Faith; I saw everything and hope justice will be served.”

Athletics Kenya officials launched an appeal while the country waited in despair. Several high-profile figures came to the defense of Kenya, and many more messages were flooding in in support.

Shortly before midnight local time, however, Kipyegon was reinstated with her silverware, and the country breathed a sigh of relief. Order was restored, and Kipyegon could now focus her efforts on the upcoming 1,500m events.

Kipyegon had a slow start to the 1500m, placing 4th in her opening heat. However, she amended that in the semi-final, taking the win and booking her place for the big night.

Two days later, on the 10th of August, Kipyegon would face Etheopia’s Gudaf Tsegay again in a renewed rivalry following the ugly mid-race clash in the 5,000m final.

On the night, Tsegay posed no such threat. In fact, nobody did. Fantastic Faith went on to make history, powering her way to gold in an Olympic record time of 3:51:29 while becoming the first woman ever to win an Olympics three-peat in the event. Despite hoping for a double in both the 1,500m and 5,000m, she would leave Stade de France with two medals and a new Olympic record.

Closing the Chapter

Faith went unbeaten for the remaining races of her season, only competing in her favored event, the 1,500m.

She finished first at the Diamond League in Rome on the 30th of August and repeated the feat on the 14th of September.

On the 26th of the same month, she competed at the inaugural Athlos NYC event, where the very best women in world athletics raced to win a lucrative $60,000.

In a fashion we’ve become accustomed to, Ethiopian Diribe Welteji and fellow compatriot Susan Ejore-Sanders left her final kick unanswered.

The win capped a phenomenal season for an all-time athletics great.

At 30 years old, Faith is still at the top of her game and will remain a fierce force to reckon with in 2025.