Faith Kipyegon has gone from running her first races barefoot to reaching the summit of the track and field world, a history maker in women's middle-distance running.
It's been a stellar rise for the racer who used to run barefoot in school.
It wasn't until she turned 15 that the girl from a family of athletes – her father was a 400m and 800m runner, and her sister a 10km and half-marathon specialist – began training to make the sport her career.
She won the World Cross Country junior race in 2011 and 2013 in Bydgoszcz. She also claimed titles at the 2011 World U18 and 2012 World U20 Championships in the 1,500m.
Kipyegon made her senior debut at the World Championships in Moscow in 2013, finishing fifth. Since then, she has been on the world podium four times, winning twice as the world champion (in 2017 and 2022). She also won a gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she showcased her tactical acumen to sprint past the leaders in the final lap.
"I want to show the world that also becoming a mother, you can be stronger.”
Athlete Olympic Results Content
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