Paris Olympics: Kipyegon leads Ejore, Chepchirchir to 1500m semifinals
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 06.08.24. | 11:57
First time Olympians Chepchirchir and Ejore put up good runs to gain automatic places
Kenya’s trio of Faith Kipyegon, Susan Ejore, and Nelly Chepchirchir are through to the Paris Olympics women’s 1500m semifinals after advancing through a series of Round One heats on Tuesday morning.
The three, all in different heats, were tasked to finish in the top six automatic qualification places; a job they did excellently to book their places in the event semifinals scheduled for Thursday 8 August.
Kipyegon back on track
Just hours removed from her involvement in Monday’s dramatic 5000m final, Kipyegon was out on the purple track again, and seemed to almost conserve her energy in the opening lap before moving closer to the leading back.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was however not going to be denied a chance in the semifinal, as she eased her way to a comfortable fourth-place finish timing 4:00.74.
“I feel good, just a little bit tired,” Kipyegon said after the race.
“To be honest, I feel tired after last night but I am feeling good.This is a different race and my traditional race. My focus is fully on making Kenyans proud. I have no comment after yesterday as it was hard. This is sport and I am Faith, I’ve always participated fairly and all… pic.twitter.com/9KkZOgrE1Q
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) August 6, 2024
Asked about her views on Monday’s final, where she saw herself disqualified then reinstated back as the race silver medalist, she said: “No comment. I just accept the outcome. I always participate in a good way and I believe in myself and I now shift my focus to my other race.”
Olympics rookie Ejore meanwhile, had a dream appearance in a major championship, as she produced a tremendous kick down the homestretch to finish third in Heat One in a time of 3:59.01.
“My goal was just to come here, race, and not put so much pressure on myself,” Ejore said of her target in the Summer Games. “It feels so nice to represent my country. So much pressure to come out in the first heat but I am glad that everything came together.”
In Heat Three, 21-year-old Chepchirchir was even better in her Olympics debut, striding off in the final 300m to finish ahead of Australia’s Jessica Hull and take the win in 4:02.67.
She didn’t come to play! 😍💪🏾
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) August 6, 2024
Olympic debutant Nelly Chepchirchir leads the final heat of the Women's 1500m, clocking in at 4:02.67. She's into the semifinals!#TeamKenya#HesabikaNaMabingwa pic.twitter.com/FRVfRx92Tk
Overall, there were no major surprises in the three heats as all big guns including Hull, Laura Muir, Diribe Welteji, and Gudaf Tsegay all advanced.
The semis take place at 2035 EAT, with the final scheduled for 10 August.
