In the hours before the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco began, thunder rolled across the Cote d’Azur. But it was left to two of the fastest women in the world – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Faith Kipyegon – to provide the lightning on Wednesday (10).
World 100m champion Fraser-Pryce is affectionately known as Mommy Rocket, and Kipyegon has adopted the logo Mother Stronger. They both make a mockery of the theories of a previous age that mothers could not be great athletes.
Tonight Olympic and world champion Kipyegon broke every 1500m record in the book, except the one she most desired, as she flew around the track in a different race from the rest of the field.
The diminutive Kenyan tracked the pacemakers through the first 900m, by which time she had left the other competitors far in her wake. For the last 600m she had only the pacing lights for company and knew she was within touching distance of Genzebe Dibaba’s 2015 world record of 3:50.07.
When Kipyegon crossed the finish line, she had broken the Kenyan record, the meeting record and her personal best, but had fallen an agonising 0.3 short of the world mark. She remains the second-fastest in history but is getting closer to No.1 with every attempt.
“I have been chasing the time for quite some time but I am happy with the personal best,” she said.
“I knew this was the best place to get the world record so I am disappointed I lost it in the last metres.”