Ratified: Kipyegon’s world 1500m record in Eugene

Image: Matthew Quine / Wanda Diamond League

The world 1500m record set by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Eugene in July has been ratified by World Athletics.

Clocking 3:48.68 at the Prefontaine Classic on 5 July, multiple Olympic and world champion Kipyegon took 0.36 off the world record of 3:49.04 she set in Paris on 7 July 2024.

Kipyegon tracked the pacemaker closely through 400m (1:01.61) and 800m (2:03.17). She kicked hard on the back straight and charged towards the finish line, crossing it in 3:48.68 to win by almost three seconds.

The performance followed her 4:06.42 mile in Paris a week earlier – the fastest women’s mile performance in history, albeit in an unofficial and unratifiable exhibition event.

“The changes were that I was preparing myself for something special, which was to run under four minutes in a mile, and I think I pushed myself, getting better and better toward the 1500m,” she said. “So, I knew it was possible to still run under 3:49.

“This is the road to Tokyo, and I would say I am in the right direction.”

Kipyegon will next compete at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, taking place from 13-21 September.