Faith Kipyegon Breaks Her Own World Record Again

Kipyegon on Saturday, July 6, won the women's 1500m race at the Prefontaine Classic, a Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Oregon, the United States (US).

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Jul 6, 2025 - 01:11 Updated: Jul 6, 2025 - 02:04
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Faith Kipyegon Breaks Her Own World Record Again
Faith Kipyegon celebrates after winning the women's 1500m race at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 10, 2024. /FAITH KIPYEGON

Kenyan athlete and three-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon has broken her own 1500m world record, again!

Kipyegon on Saturday, July 5, won the women's 1500m race at the Prefontaine Classic, a Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Oregon, the United States (US).

Setting a time of...wait for it...3:48.68, she lowered her own world record by .36 seconds, almost exactly a year to the day after setting it. But that's not all.

2025 is the third consecutive year Kipyegon has broken the women's 1500m world record. She crossed the line, breaking her previous record of 3:49.04 set at the Paris Diamond League on July 7 last year. In 2023, she clocked 3:49.11 at a Diamond League meet in Florence, Italy, on June 2.

Faith Kipyegon crosses the finish line during the women's 1500m race at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, US on July 5, 2025. /X

Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji finished second with a personal best of 3:51.44, while Australia’s Jessica Hull claimed third in a season-best 3:52.67.

Earlier in the 5000m, Chebet ran 13:58.06 — closing with a 61-second final lap — to become the first woman ever to break 14 minutes in the event. The previous record of 14:00.21 had been set by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at the 2023 Pre Classic.

Chebet, who holds Olympic golds in both the 5000m and 10,000m, is also the only woman to have dipped under 29 minutes in the 10,000m, a feat she achieved at the 2024 Pre Classic.

Kipyegon and Chebet might clash in the 5000m at the World Championships in Tokyo this September. Kipyegon is the current 1500m and 5000m world champion and took silver behind Chebet in the 5000m at the Paris Olympics.

Kipyegon’s achievement on Saturday came barely a week after she narrowly missed becoming the first woman to break the four-minute barrier in the mile.

During the ‘Breaking4’ challenge in Paris, the double world record holder ran 4:06.42, which ended up being an unofficial world record for the mile. She needed to cut a significant 7.65 seconds from her current world record of 4:07.64, which she set nearly two years ago at a Diamond League event in Monaco.

Although she fell short of her goal, Kipyegon managed to trim over a second off her previous record, solidifying her status as the fastest woman to ever run the mile.

After the race, Kipyegon remained upbeat and expressed strong optimism, hinting that she intends to make another attempt at breaking the mile barrier in the future.

"I feel good, I've tried. I have proven what's possible. It's only a matter of time, and I know one day a woman will run under 4 minutes. If it is not me, it will be someone else," she said.

"Even without these conditions, I will still go for it. I want to thank everyone who came to cheer me on. This was really special, and I am so grateful I have proved to the world that everything is possible."

She added, "Even without these conditions, I will still go for it. I want to thank everyone who came to cheer me on. This was really special, and I am so grateful I have proved to the world that everything is possible."

Faith Kipyegon during the sub-4 minute attempt in France on Thursday, June 26, 2025. /FAITH KIPYEGON

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