Returning to the scene of her record-breaking mark over 5000m last year, Faith Kipyegon broke her own world 1500m record* at the Meeting de Paris, clocking 3:49.04 in the final race of the Wanda Diamond League meeting in the French capital on Sunday (7).
Kipyegon’s performance came less than an hour after Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh had broken the world high jump record with 2.10m.
The early pace was swift, with Kipyegon covering 800m in 2:04 as Australia’s Jess Hull positioned herself just a stride behind the multiple world and Olympic champion. With the pacemakers having dropped out, Kipyegon covered the third lap in 60.8 seconds and continued to increase her pace.
She kicked at the bell and opened up a gap over Hull, striding clear to win in 3:49.04, taking 0.07 off the world record she set last year in Florence. Hull finished second in 3:50.83, smashing her own Oceanian record to move to fifth on the world all-time list. Laura Muir was third in a British record of 3:53.79.
“I knew the world record was possible because I recently ran very fast in Kenya,” said Kipyegon, who clocked 3:53.98 at Kenya’s Olympic Trials. “I was coming here to just run my race and to see what shape I’m in to defend my title at the Olympics.”
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
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