Meet Faith Kipyegon, the ‘queen of track’ who started her career running barefoot and is aiming for Paris 2024 glory
FAITH KIPYEGON became an athlete by accident, before going on to break world records and win Olympic gold.
Here’s more about the world’s number one long-distance runner who’s competing in the Paris games.
Faith Kipyegon recently beat the 1500m women’s world recordGetty
Faith is set to take part in the Olympics in ParisAP
Who is Faith Kipyegon?
Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon was born on January 10, 1994.
She’s a middle and long-distance runner from Kenya, and has held a number of world records during her career.
Faith is the eighth of nine children, and grew up on a farm in the Kenyan Rift Valley.
Running literally runs in the family – her older sister Beatrice is a long distance runner too, and her father Samuel competed at 400m and 800m when he was younger.
Faith didn’t even realise how good a runner she was when she was younger.
Originally a footballer, her PE teacher asked her to try out a 1km run while she was at school.
Completely unexpectedly, Faith not only won the race, but did so by a whole twenty metres.
Two years later in 2010 she took part – barefoot – at the World Cross County Championships in Poland, and her career progressed through a number of further tournaments.
Multiple gold medals have followed, and in 2023 Faith broke three world track records in the space of fifty days.
Faith is married to fellow long-distance runner Timothy Kitum.
Their daughter Alyn was born in 2018.
Faith is also an Arsenal supporter.
What sport is Faith Kipyegon competing in at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
I didn’t know how to use spikes by then. Now I don’t know how to run barefoot anymore.”
Faith Kipyegon
Faith is back at the 2024 Olympics after competing in the last three – and she’ll be hoping to add to her gold medal tally.
She says her ambition this year is “to defend my Olympic title and bring the gold medal back home.”
She came first at the women’s 1500m in both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
As the current world number one, Faith is back for more and will be competing once again in both the women’s 1500m and 5000m events in Paris.
But she no longer runs barefoot like she once did.
Faith said: “I didn’t know how to use spikes by then. Now I don’t know how to run barefoot anymore.”
Faith Kipyegon has broken a number of world recordsGetty
Faith Kipyegon celebrates her 1500m World Record in 2024REX/Shutterstock
Which country is Faith Kipyegon representing at Paris 2024 Olympics?
Faith represents her home country of Kenya at the Olympics as well as in other international athletics tournaments.
Her country has a good record, and has taken home a number of gold medals from the games in recent years.
She’ll be competing in the 1500m alongside her fellow Kenyans Susan Ejore and Nelly Chepchirchir – both of whom are making their Olympics debut.
First-timers Beatrice Chebet and Margaret Kipkemboi will be racing alongside Faith in the 5000m event.
BBC’s Olympics line-up in full
Presenters:
Clare Balding
Gabby Logan
Hazel Irvine
Isa Guha
Jeanette Kwakye
JJ Chalmers
Mark Chapman
Studio guests:
Beth Tweddle
Chris Hoy
Denise Lewis
Fred Sirieix
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Kate Richardson-Walsh
Katherine Grainger
Laura Kenny
Mark Foster
Michael Johnson
Nicola Adams
Rebecca Adlington
Tonia Couch
Radio:
Adrian Chiles
Eleanor Oldroyd
Kelly Cates
Mark Chapman
Naga Munchetty
Tony Livesey
