Paris Olympics: Another Faith Kipyegon vs Gudaf Tsegay battle in 1500m women's final
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 08.08.24. | 21:06
Youngster Nelly Chepchirchir missed the finals after finishing eleventh in her race
Olympic defending champion Faith Kipyegon has qualified for the final of the women's 1500m at the Paris Olympics, held at the Stade de France.
The two-time world and Olympic 1500m champion clocked 3:58.64 to finish first in Heat 1 on Thursday night.
Great Britain's Georgia Bell finished second in 3:59.49, while Purrier St. Pierre clocked 3:59.74 to take third place.
Another Kenyan, Nelly Chepchirchir, despite a strong start, finished eleventh and outside the qualification bracket with a time of 4:03.24.
Kipyegon's participation in her staple event comes days after she was initially stripped of her silver medal in the women's 5000m following an entanglement with Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay.
However, the world 5000m champion was reinstated as the silver medalist after an appeal by Team Kenya officials, which showed that the Ethiopian was at fault.
Kipyegon is seeking to win her third consecutive Olympic gold medal over the distance, and as the world record holder, all eyes will be on her.
The 30-year-old has become the undisputed GOAT of the event, given her dominance at the World Championships and the Olympics, as well as her world record achievements.
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In the ultimate semifinal, Kenya's Susan Ejore laid down a marker with an impressive run, crossing the line fifth in 3:56.57 to qualify for the final.
Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji won the race in 3:55.10, with Australia's Jessica Hull finishing second in 3:55.40, while USA's Nikki Hiltz came third in 3:56.57.
Ethiopia's Tsegay finished fourth in 3:56.41, setting up a showdown with Kipyegon in the finals set for Saturday.
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