Olympic 1,500 metres champion Faith Chepng'etich Kipyegon broke the national record Thursday night during the Florence Diamond League in Italy.
Kipyegon clocked three minutes, 53.91 seconds to finish second behind Netherlands Sifan Hassan who posted a world lead time of 3:53.63 to win the race.
The Olympic champion was running from behind and tried to surge forward in the final lap but Hassan held her own.
In the last lap, Hassan increased her pace towards the homestretch forcing Kipyegon to settle for second position.
It was a repeat of the World Championships battle in Doha, Qatar where the Ethiopian-born Hassan bagged gold with Kipyegon settling for silver in the 1,500m race.
Many Kenyan athletes did not participate in the series due to the national trials that will be held next week at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi from June 17-19.
Athletics Kenya will use the event to select a strong team that will represent the country during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan due July 23 to August 9.