Faith Kipyegon of Kenya has made Olympic history by becoming the first athlete to win three consecutive gold medals in the 1500m.
The 30-year-old champion delivered a masterful performance at the Stade de France on Saturday, clinching victory in a new Olympic record time of 3 minutes 51.29 seconds.
Australia’s Jessica Hull secured silver in 3:52.56, while Great Britain’s Georgia Bell took bronze in 3:52.61.
Kipyegon, who previously triumphed in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, employed shrewd tactics in the race. She allowed Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay to set the early pace before moving onto the Ethiopian’s shoulder after the first lap.
With 200m remaining, Kipyegon decisively accelerated, scampering across the line to clinch her unprecedented Olympic 1,500-metre treble.
Hull and Bell gave chase but were unable to match Kipyegon’s blistering speed in the final stretch.
This victory cements Kipyegon’s status as one of the greatest middle-distance runners in history. She now boasts three Olympic golds in the 1500m, complementing her three world championship titles in the same event, the latest coming at Budapest in 2023.
Earlier in the Games, Kipyegon had been reinstated to silver in the women’s 5000m following a successful appeal by Kenya after an initial disqualification for apparent obstruction.
Kipyegon’s triumph marks another stellar performance for Kenya at these Olympics, following Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s gold in the men’s 800m and Beatrice Chebet’s victories in the 5000m and 10,000m events.
