Faith Kipyegon sets ambitious goal after successfully opening her season in Doha

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ATHLETICS Faith Kipyegon sets ambitious goal after successfully opening her season in Doha

Abigael Wafula 08:40 - 06.05.2023

The double world champion destroyed a strong field to win the women's 1,500m in 3:58.57.

After destroying a strong field at the just-concluded Diamond League Meeting in Doha on Friday night, two-time world and Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon is not resting on her laurels as she maintains her eyes on the world record.

Kipyegon noted that her main focus going forward is to break Genzebe Dibaba’s record of 3:50.07 and successfully defend her world title in Budapest in August.

During last year’s meeting in Monaco, Kipyegon had attempted to break the world record but missed it by three-tenths of a second. However, the time she posted, 3:50.37, saw her become the second fastest woman over the distance.

“My huge goal is to win the World Championships and break the world record this year,” Kipyegon said in a post-race interview.

The 29-year-old kickstarted her track season in the Qatari capital and was off to a good start after destroying a strong field to win in 3:58.57.

She expressed excitement with the time she had set and revealed that the weather was not that favourable, limiting her from pushing herself to the extreme.

“I am very pleased with my start of the season, it was an exciting race, but a little bit windy, so I decided to not push too much and just focus on winning the race. I have been training well for this,” she said.

She also lauded the fans for encouraging her throughout the race and added that she is looking forward to a great season ahead.

“I really like racing in Doha, the crowd and fans are really amazing, thank you for coming out to cheer us on. I'm really grateful to be here, and looking forward to the rest of the season,” she concluded.

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