Faith Kipyegon reveals reason behind shock defeat at Prefontaine Classic
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 05.07.26. | 19:46
The 32-year-old had on Saturday stayed silent on her off-field battles, but left no stones unturned in a Sunday post on social media
Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon finally let the cat out of the bag on her off-field struggles that have affected her game in recent months, leading up to her shock defeat at the Eugene Diamond League on Saturday, 4 July.
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Kipyegon, making her first middle-distance appearance of the season at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday, produced one of the biggest surprises of the event at Hayward Field, when she finished third in the women's mile.
Having been a favorite getting into the race, the five-time World Champion was usurped round the final straight by USA’s two-time world indoor medallist Nikki Hiltz, who took the win in a world-leading, meeting record time of 4:17.49.
Kipyegon, finishing behind fellow Kenyan Dorcus Ewoi, could only time 4:17.80.
In an interview immediately after the race, Kipyegon hinted at some personal challenges behind the scenes that people were unaware of, but were affecting her performances.
Stressed on what was going on, Kipyegon, who has only run thrice this year, remain tight-lipped, but has now opened up on her situation.
“As athletes, we often deal with challenges you can’t always see from the outside," Kipyegon wrote on her social media page on Sunday, 5 July. “Since Shanghai, I’ve been dealing with a hamstring injury, but the last two weeks have been a step in the right direction.
“I didn’t want to miss Nike Prefontaine Classic, and I didn’t want to miss competing in the magic of Hayward Field. From here we keep building, step by step, towards a strong second half of the season. Congratulations Nikki Hiltz on a beautiful win.”
The defeat was Kipyegon’s first in Diamond League for four years, and she will hope to have gotten past it, when she runs next, potentially at the Monaco meet on Friday, 10 June.
