Kipyegon keen to show the way in Paris meet today

Faith Kipyegon celebrates after winning the 1500m finals during the Olympic trials at Nyayo Stadium last month.[Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The world’s fastest athlete in the women’s 1500m, Faith Kipyegon is this evening set to fire a warning shot ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games as she races at the Paris Diamond League.

Another 1500m world record might sound too much to ask for Kipyegon, but an assassin as lethal as Faith may pull a surprise.

Kipyegon, the country’s golden girl, announced her grand start in the season, delivering mouthwatering sprinting from the bell as she easily booked her place in Team Kenya to Paris Olympics during last month’s national trials staged at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

At the Paris Olympics, the world’s biggest extravaganza this year, Kipyegon will be doubling in 1500m and 5,000m just as she did at the Budapest World Championships last year. The Olympic Games will run from July 26 to August 11.

At the national trials, and before she kicked off her preparations for today’s Paris Diamond League, Kipyegon promised: "I am looking forward to a bright summer…. I am excited to be back on the track and executing it well”

And today’s Paris meeting will be a key indicator of her form heading into the Olympic Games.

Kipyegon is returning to the arena where she made history in 2023 as she became the first athlete to break more than one world record in a single Diamond League season.

Her 5,000m record of 14:05.20 was the second of three, and came just a week after she had broken the 1500m world record in Florence.

The 5,000m mark was, however, later broken by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, and despite the lowering of her record the track star still went ahead to end the season as the 2023 Diamond League champion, claiming her fourth career trophy in the 1500m.

Kipyegon will compete with compatriot Susan Ejore and Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir of Great Britain and Ethiopians Nigist Getachew and Freweyni Hailu in the 1500m race.

Observers say the Meeting de Paris will be an Olympic dress rehearsal for many athletes.

For instance, 3,000m steeplechase world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (who has held the 8:44.32 fastest mark since 2018 when she set it in Monaco) will be renewing rivalry with Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Winfred Mutile Yavi, who broke an Asian record on her way to the Diamond League title in Eugene last year.

Yavi edged out Chepkoech at the Budapest World Championships last year when she won gold as the record holder settled for silver.

Also chasing glory in Paris is world 800m silver medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

Wanyonyi is returning to the meet with fond memories, having won the 800m clash at the Paris Diamond League last before proceeding to claim a world silver in Budapest.

He cruised to victory at the Olympics national trials in 1:41.70, a performance that propelled the youngster to a third place on the world all-time list.

Wanyonyi will be in the company of two-time Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal and Aaron Cheminingwa.

Former World Under-20 champion Amos Serem will be anchoring compatriots, world bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwott, Wilberforce Kones and Lawrence Kipsang, to stardom.