No time to rest for Kipyegon yet as she heads to New York
Athletics
By
Stephen Rutto
| Oct 01, 2025
I can’t stop pushing myself and waking up early for my morning runs, a red-hot Faith Kipyegon has said as she sets sights on the all-women Athlos New York City meet this month.
There is no time to rest yet for Kipyegon, who is fresh from her fourth world 1500m title at the Tokyo World Championships which came to a close on September 21.
She will be chasing glory once again at the October 10 showdown in the meet to be staged at Icahn Stadium in New York City.
The three-time Olympic champion says after the all-women meet, the season will have ended and time to relax and reflect on a brilliant season begins.
“I still have one more race to go in New York City – the only-women race, and that is Athlos and after that the season will be over,” says Kipyegon.
But before then, the hardest work will be on the training as she sets her eyes on not just a win but a defence of her 2024 Athlos title; not forgetting the Sh7.7 million winning prize – a mouthwatering reward for a superstar who also bagged a silver medal in the women’s 1500m at the Tokyo Worlds.
And she promises to continue her stellar shows at the Athlos event in an ambitious dream to motivate the younger generation of athletes.
“I will not stop winning because many generations are looking up to me. Many young girls say I want to be like Faith in the future,” Kipyegon said recently.
She goes on to say: “I still want to push myself and wake up early for morning runs knowing that many young Kenyans are looking up to me. Beatrice Chebet saw me running as a junior athlete. She started training when I was already world junior champion.”
At the inaugural Athlos showpiece, last year, Kipyegon and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma were among the victors.
Kipyegon took the 1500m title while Duguma delivered a win in the 800m race.
But this year, Kipyegon is eyeing a win in the Mile, a distance where she holds the world record, just like the 1500m.
Former world 800m champion Mary Moraa who faced a strong opposition in Tokyo and could not medal, will be hoping to redeem herself in her specialty.
The new all-women meeting, held at the Icahn Stadium, featured six elite events – the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 100m hurdles – with prize money of $60,000 up for grabs for each winner.
Kipyegon won last year’s 1500m race in Athlos after her third Olympic title in Paris. She had improved the world record to 3:49.04 that season, and maintained her winning streak, claiming victory in New York in 4:04.79 in a tactical clash.
Racing a superb final lap in 58.45, Kipyegon kicked away from Ethiopia’s world road mile champion Diribe Welteji, who was second in 4:05.58 at the 2024 event.
Meanwhile, Athlos - the Alexis Ohanian-founded all-women’s track and field meet, is set to make even bigger moves in 2026.
The first iteration of the meet was punctuated with attractive prize money, a performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion, and eight Olympic champions, including Kipyegon, Gabby Thomas (200m) and Masai Russell (100m hurdles).
“This year, Athlos will return to New York City on October 10, promising more exciting athletic performances and a more influential cultural movement. In 2026, Ohanian plans to take Athlos to even bigger heights, crafting a team-based, athlete-led track and field league with Olympic champions Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, and Tara Davis-Woodhall as the founding advisor-owners,” organisers announced.
They added: “Richardson, known for her daring spirit and difficult-to-beat top-end speed, brings several valuable qualities to the table that will set the Athlos league up for success.”