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It is now three years and counting since Faith Kipyegon last lost in 1,500m and at the time, some of the current track superstars were nowhere to be seen. So, where were they in June 2021?
Faith Kipyegon’s win at the women’s-only Athlos NYC track event in New York on Thursday highlighted yet again how she has been totally dominant over the 1,500m distance.
At Athlos, Kipyegon ran a slower time of 4:04.79 to claim the win ahead of Ethiopian Diribe Welteji (4:05:58) as US-based Kenyan Susan Ejore-Sanders completed the podium in 4:06.25.
It was yet another feather in her cap but crucially, it saw her remain the undisputed queen of the 1,500m race as she has now not tasted defeat over the distance since June 2021.
Kipyegon last lost a race over the distance at the Florence Diamond League on June 11, 2021 when Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan floored her to claim top honours but since then, she has been untouchable.
To put it into context, a number of female track stars currently making waves were nowhere to be seen the last time Faith Kipyegon tasted defeat, yet she has remained unchallenged.
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13:20 - 28.09.2024
Faith Kipyegon: 3 years, two months & counting, who is the last athlete to beat 1,500m GOAT?
Multiple Olympics champion Faith Kipyegon extended her unbeaten run to over three years following her victory at Athlos, rekindling memories of the last time she tasted defeat.
So, who were still ‘ordinary’ athletes the last time the 1,500m GOAT lost in June 2021?
Sha’Carri Richardson
American sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson has so far won gold at the World Championships, and Olympics silver, both in 100m, as well as 4x100m relay god but in June 2021, she was just beginning to make a name for herself.
Sha’Carri Richardson had turned heads in April that year when she ran a new personal best of 10.72 seconds, becoming the sixth-fastest woman of all time (at the time), and the fourth-fastest American woman in history.
The Dallas native would qualify for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics after winning the 100m at the US trials but she was barred from the Games for testing positive for Cannabis by which time Faith Kipyegon had already lost to Sifan Hassan.
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05:34 - 27.09.2024
Sha’Carri Richardson tops Julien Alfred at the end of the season despite Olympics gold medal miss
American Sha’Carri Richardson has still ended the season on top of Julien Alfred even after the St Lucia sprinter collected more medals that her in 2024.
Julien Alfred
Julien Alfred has been the woman to beat over 100m in 2024 but by June 2021, she was still running at junior level at the time when she had just turned 20.
In 2021, Alfred run in a number of events while still in college at the University of Texas before she featured in the World Championships in 2022 when she reached the semi-final.
Gabby Thomas
America’s golden girl Gabby Thomas was still little-known in June 2021 as she was looking forward to her first-ever Olympics Games in Tokyo.
At the time, she had just received a scare that threatened to scuttle her athletics career after an MRI scan revealed a tumor in her liver in May 2021 but it turned out to be benign.
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19:00 - 27.09.2024
Gabby Thomas on how mean track & field environment was to her when she first turned professional
Gabby Thomas opens up about the challenges of adjusting to the competitive and sometimes unfriendly professional track environment after college while emphasizing the importance of self-belief, representation, and her drive to inspire others.
She would feature in the US Olympics trials where she won the 200m to qualify for the Tokyo Games, going on to win bronze over the distance but by which time Faith Kipyegon had already lost.
Athing Mu
Athing Mu became a global superstar at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics but by this time, Faith Kioyegon had already suffered defeat.
Mu had been building up after running 1:58.40 in the 800m to set an indoor collegiate and world under-20 record before an outdoors collegiate record of 1:57.73 over the distance in April marked her as one of the athletes to look out for that year.
At the 2021 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 12, a day after Kipyegon’s loss, she lowered her collegiate all-time record mark to 49.57 in winning the 400m and followed it up by qualifying for the Olympics where she won her maiden title before claiming the World Championships gold the following year.
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19:32 - 22.09.2024
‘She said yes’: Track & field stars who have ‘gone off the market’ in 2024
Marriage proposals have been witnessed among track and field stars during the 2024 campaign but who are the athletes ending the season with an engagement ring on their finger?
Beatrice Chebet
Two-time Paris Olympics gold medalist Beatrice Chebet has been one of the stars of 2024 but three years ago, she was still not known to many.
Chebet had just graduated from junior to senior ranks and had an eye-catching performance in Doha when she won the 5,000m before following it up with victory at the Meeting International de Montreuil, Stade des Grands Pechers, Montreuil in France on June 1, 2021.
On June 17, six days after Kipyegon had lost to Hassan, Chebet featured at the Kenyan trials for the Tokyo Olympics but could only finish fifth in 5,000m to miss out on the Games.
That disappointment was a great source of motivation as she has since turned it around to claim two cross-country titles and as many Diamond League crowns, a world record, silver and bronze at the World Championships and now two Olympics golds.
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13:03 - 26.09.2024
Beatrice Chebet's coach Peter Bii opens up on the moment that defined her record-breaking season
Beatrice Chebet's coach has disclosed how they worked behind the scenes to ensure she had a successful 2024 track season that yielded two Olympics gold medals.
Such has been Faith Kipyegon’s dominance!
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