Faith Kipyegon: When and Where Olympics Champion Will Begin 2026 Season

Faith Kipyegon is set to begin her 2026 campaign in the 5,000m at the season-opening Shanghai Diamond League in China, on May 16.

This marks the Kenyan distance running icon's second consecutive year competing in the country.

Kipyegon, who has remarkably broken a world record in each of the last three Diamond League seasons, will be a headline attraction.

Her return to China follows a near-world record performance in the 1,000m at the 2025 Xiamen Diamond League meeting.

The 31-year-old has been a dominant force in recent years, winning five Diamond League Trophies, and is now aiming for an unprecedented sixth title in athletics' premier one-day series. Since 2023, she has shattered five world records across three different events in four separate Diamond League cities.

While the 5,000m in Shanghai is an additional event and will not count towards Diamond League points, it serves as a vital early-season test for Kipyegon.

“See you in Shanghai,” Kipyegon posted on her Instagram story ahead of the race which will gauge her form as she prepares for subsequent appearances in Eugene and Monaco later in the year.

The Shanghai/Keqiao meet kicks off the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, a global series that will span 15 cities across four continents.

The season will culminate with a two-day final in Brussels on September 4-5, bringing together the biggest names in track and field.