World Champion Sifan Hassan had said that she was going to attempt the world record over the 1500m. She had asked for a pace of 61-second laps, which would add up to a second or so under the current world record of 3:50.07.
The Dutchwoman has set world records twice previously in Monaco, most recently over the mile two years ago, and she was feeling confident after rediscovering her love for the metric mile with a victory over Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence last month.
But then Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon had other ideas, she had her own ambitions,
When the race began, Hassan then turned the screws, but Kipyegon was on her heels,this time the Dutchwoman did not have it her way.
As they entered the final straight Kipyegon kicked hard, dashing past her rival and sprinting down the straight to win in 3:51.07, a Kenyan record and the fourth fastest time in history. Hassan would come second in 3:53.60.
“I knew Sifan was going for a fast race and my goal was to run a fast race here and I thank God that was,” she said. “I am really looking forward to Tokyo and I know it will be a very hard competition but I hope to go there and defend my title.”
Kipyegon who returned to action in 2019 after a maternity leave finished second to Hassan at the World Championships in Doha, but has now found an even richer vein of form than that which carried her to the Olympic title in 2016 and the world title in 2017.
“I came back after giving birth and I feel like a role model for the young mothers out there and the young athletes,” she said. “I hope to show them that when you go for maternity leave, this does not mean the end of your career. You can come back strong and win races.”
In the men’s race, Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot was also a man on a mission as he tore the rest of the field apart to win the 1500m.
The World champion, whose Olympic dreams hang in the balance, dashed to the fastest time in the world for six years as he clocked 3:28.28 to post a personal best.