How Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Inspired Faith Kipyegon To Break 3 World Records

Kenyan athlete and two-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon revealed on Wednesday, October 11 that she drew inspiration from three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica to spearhead a successful, world-conquering 2023.

Speaking at Citizen TV's JKLive show, Kipyegon narrated how Fraser-Pryce's comeback from maternity leave in 2019 inspired her to dominate world athletics in 2023 which saw her break three world records; the world mile, 1500m race and 5000m race.

In 2019 during the World Athletics Championship in Doha, Fraser-Pryce won her fourth world title, becoming the oldest woman and first mother to win a 100m race.

Faith Kipyegon speaking during a Citizen TV interview on October 11, 2023. /JEFF KOINANGE

Following Kipyegon's meeting with Fraser-Pryce that occurred during the Doha showpiece in Qatar, the female Kenyan superstar went on to win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as well as three World Championship golds before breaking the aforementioned world records.

“Shelly-Anne really motivated me even to go on maternity leave when we met in 2019 in Doha and she won a gold medal. I got the courage like we still have the energy to of winning a gold medal after maternity leave and that should be an encouragement to many other athletes,” Kipyegon shared.

The Olympic gold in 2020 (games held in 2021) is not her only one though as she clinched her first Gold medal in the 1,500 metres race at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She is now eyeing history by being the first Kenyan to bag Gold at three consecutive Olympic games when they return in Paris, France in 2024.

The games are set to be held between July 26, 2024, and August 11, 2024, with Kipyegon stating that achieving the feat would guarantee that her name goes down in the annals of athletics history.

Furthermore, Kipyegon shared her early struggles as an upcoming athlete running without shoes and how her success was purely a result of hard work and determination.

“I didn’t have shoes in my first race in Poland so I decided to run that way. It was my first international race I was competing in the 6km race during the cross country Mercy Cherono won the race I was fourth and I won the race in 2011,” Kipyegon revealed.

Hours before the interview, Kipyegon was nominated for the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year Award following her exploits that saw her also win two world titles, becoming the first woman to win both 1500m and 5000m titles in a single world championship competition.

She will be up against formidable opponents who are also battling for the award, including Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States (USA), a reigning world 100m champion who had an impeccable 2023 season that included handing shock defeats to the Jamaican duo of Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce to win the 100m at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Tigst Assefa and Gudaf Tsegay, both Ethiopians have also been nominated alongside Kipyegon.