Country: Kenya Age: 27 Discipline: Middle-distance runner
Faith Kipyegon set an Olympic record in Tokyo as she defended the 1500m title she first won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The Kenyan dedicated the win to her three-year-old daughter, whom she credits with giving her extra motivation after taking a 21-month break from the sport.
The dedication was all the more significant since Kipyegon is only the third athlete to retain an Olympic title after giving birth between Games (along with Australia’s Shirley Strickland, in 1956, and Cameroon’s Francoise Mbango, in 2008).
Prior to her stellar display in Japan, she had set a world-leading time of 3:51.07 – the fourth fastest time in history – in Monaco in July at the Diamond League, an event in which she was crowned the year’s champion in September.
After her Olympic record, she is now targeting the world record.
