Faith Kipyegon reveals plans to switch to 5,000m after Paris Olympics

ATHLETICS Faith Kipyegon reveals plans to switch to 5,000m after Paris Olympics

Abigael Wafula 08:00 - 03.06.2023

Her next stop is at next week's Diamond League Meeting in Paris where she will compete in the 5,000m race.

Newly-crowned 1,500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon has revealed plans to switch to the 5,000m in due course.

The two-time world champion noted that her focus is now on the World Championships in Budapest where she will seek to defend her title. Kipyegon added that after the Paris Olympics next year, she will know what lies ahead.

Her next stop is at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris, France on June 9, where she will be competing in the 5,000m to test herself.

“I don’t know yet…my focus at the moment is to defend my title in Budapest and then the Olympics next year. After the Olympics, I’ll see what’s possible if I can switch to the 5,000m race and then eventually the marathon," she said.

"Next week I will be running in the 5,000m in Paris to see what I can do. I really want to switch to the 5,000m."

She added that she is aware of the tough competition that awaits her over the 12.5-lap race but she is confident of doing better.

Speaking about the world record, Kipyegon revealed that it came as a surprise to her since she was only expecting to run a world lead.

“I didn’t expect to run a world record here tonight and it just came as a surprise. I thank God…I also want to thank my coach and manager for coming to support me and encouraging me,” she revealed.

The two-time Olympic champion noted that the fans cheering motivated her to keep pushing and they gave her the strength to keep going.

She added that investing her time into training is what made her believe she could break the record in Florence.

“I believed in the training I did and I knew everything was possible. My coach had told me I was at my peak and I could do it,” she said.