Faith Kipyegon wins 2023 World Athlete of the Year Award

Multiple world record holder Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon is the 2023 women’s World Athletics athlete of the year!

The announcement was made on Monday night, December 11 in a colorful ceremony held in Monaco, France. 

Kipyegon bagged the prestigious award thanks to the impressive performances she reached in the congested year.

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The mother of one broke three world records within a period of less than two months to enter her name into the history books as one of the greatest middle-distance runners to ever set foot on the track.

She shocked the universe by dismantling the 1500m and 1500m world records in a span of seven days - something which most individuals used to believe was unattainable. 

Kipyegon, who started her career running barefoot in Kenya’s Rift Valley region first smashed the 1500m world record on Friday, June 2, when she produced a monster performance in the Florence Diamond League to cross the finishing line in 3:49.11 and in the process became the first woman to run the distance in under 3:50.00.

The previous world record of 3:50.07 was set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in 2015 at the Hercules Diamond League in Monaco.

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On Sunday June 9, Kipyegon ran a well-calculated race before showing Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey dust in the final 200m of the race and reach the finishing line in a world record time of 14:05.20 at the Paris Diamond League. 

She slashed more than 40 seconds from the then world record of 14:06.62 which was set in Valencia three years ago.

A month later, the athlete who trains under the watchful eyes of coach Patrick Sang completed a hat-trick of world records when she shattered the one mile leading mark by almost five seconds, crossing the finishing line in 4:07.64 at the Monaco Diamond League. 

Netherlands international Sifan Hassan had set the former world record of 4:12.33 in July 2019 at the same event. 

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Besides breaking world records at ease, Kipyegon also won Kenya several medals in international championships.

The Kaptagat-based runner won Kenyan a 1500m gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. 

She became the first woman in history to do a double in 1500m and 5000m in a world championships event when she crossed the finishing line in 14:53.88. 

Kipyegon later experienced her first defeat of the season when she finished third at the World Athletics Road Running Championships staged in Riga, Latvia where she was making her debut.

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