Faith Kipyegon Bio, Age, Family, Career, Achievements, Medals, Net worth.

Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon EGH is a celebrated Kenyan athlete specializing in middle and long-distance races. She is the current monumental world record holder for1500 m and one mile races both set in 2023. Faith is also the previous world record holder in 5000 m.

Kipyegon is a two time Olympic games, four time Diamond League and three time World Championships champion in1500 m. Moreover, she was a 5000 m gold winner in the 2023 World Championships.

In December 2023, Faith was announced the World Athlete of the Year 2023 (Women’s track). A few hours later, she was awarded the prestigious Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH) of Kenya, the highest civilian award in the country. She is the first sportswoman and the second athlete (after Eliud Kipchoge) in history to receive this award.

The Kenyan star athlete is considered as the world’s greatest 1500 m race runner. She is the first woman to win four 1500 m titles at the World’s Track and Field Championships. Faith has as well made history as the only woman to have run seven 1500 m races under 3 minutes and 55 seconds.

The athletics superstar has become a source of inspiration to millions of youths across the world. Her journey to stardom started from humble beginnings. From the girl who ran barefooted in her maiden international competition, to one of the world’s most decorated and reputable sports personalities. Her story in a true testimony that with hard work and determination every goal is achievable.

Faith Kipyegon Age and Birthday

Born in Bomet, Kenya on 10 January 1994, Faith is 30 years old as of 2024. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn.

Faith Kipyegon Height

The celebrated athlete is about 1.57 meters (5 feet and 2 inches) tall.

Faith Kipyegon Family

Parents and siblings

The famous athlete is the eighth born in a nine sibling athletics family. Her father Samuel Kipyegon Koech is a former 400 m and 800 m runner, while her mother Linah was as well involved in athletics.

Faith’s elder sister who is also her former training companion, Beatrice Mutai is a 10 km and half-marathon athlete. Information about the rest of her siblings is currently unavailable.

Spouse and child

Faith is happily married to Timothy Kitum who is a middle-distance runner and the 2012 Olympic 800 m bronze medalist.

The couple have a beautiful daughter named Alyn, born in June 2018.

Faith Kipyegon Career

While growing up, Faith’s interest was playing soccer. She only realized her great potential in athletics when she was 14 years ago, after her primary school teachers introduced her to the sport. It was however later on during her time in Winners Girls High School when her career in athletics began to flourish.

Junior level

The World champion made her international debut in 2010, at the age of 16. This was at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. A barefooted Kipyengon finished fourth in the women’s junior race as the Kenyan team took a 1 to 4 sweep to win the Gold medal. In the Kenya World Junior Championship trials later that year, Faith finished third in the 1500 m race.

She made her breakthrough in the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain. Faith yet again barefooted won Gold while her team took silver. Soon after, she broke the World Youth Championship record in 1500 m with a time of 4:09:48.

Kipyegon’s exceptional career continued on a uptrend. In 2013, she defended her Junior World Cross Country Championship title. Later that year in 10 May, at the Qatar Diamond League in Doha, Faith ran 1500 m at a sub-four minute record time of 3:56:98.

Senior level

First senior triumph: 2014

In March 2014, Faith won the African Cross Country Championships’ senior women’s 8km race in Kampala, Uganda. Two months later, she was part of the Kenyan quartet that won Gold in the 4X1500 m relay and set a new world record of 16:33.58 at the IAAF World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. In July the same year, during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow , Scotland, she won her first senior title in 1500 m.

First global medal and mile race record: 2015

In the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Faith won her first global medal when she took Silver in the 1500 m. On 11 September in Brussels, Kipyegon got her first Diamond League win, this time in the mile race clocking 4:16.71. This was a new Diamond League meeting and African record.

First Olympic and World Championship titles: 2016-17

After competing in the 2016 Diamond League in Shanghai and Eugene Diamond race in the USA, Faith took the win in the June Diamond League mile race in Oslo. She followed it up with maiden Olympic Gold medal in 1500 m in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2017, Kipyegon won three races in Shanghai, Eugene and Brussels to receive her first Diamond League 1500 m trophy. In August same year, she won the World Championships in London. Consequently, Faith became the first Kenyan female world champion in 1500 m. She as well became only the third woman in history to win both the World Championships and the Olympics in 1500 m.

Return from maternity break: 2019

In early 2018, Kipyegon took a break from athletics since she was expectant. In June she was blessed with a bundle of joy in a baby girl who she named Alyn.

She resumed training about a year after getting her daughter. In no time Faith was back to winning ways, finishing victorious in 1500 m clocking 3:59.04 at the Eugene Diamond League in Palo Alto. She repeated the feat in the World Championships in Doha where she won the silver medal.

Unbeaten record and another Olympic title: 2020-21

Faith was unbeaten in six races at the Diamond League and Continental Tour meetings in 2020.

In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in August 2021, she won her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in her specialty in 3:53.11, breaking a 33 year-old Olympic record. Faith as also became the second woman in history to win two consecutive 1500 m Olympic titles.

Second senior world title and record four global titles: 2022

After another win in the Eugene Diamond League in May, Kipyegon was at it again in July, this time winning gold medal in the 1500 m in a time of 3:52.96 at the World Championships for the second time in senior level. This made her the first female athlete to win the World title four times in her specialty. She would proceed to win all her 1500 m races in the 2022 season.

World records: 2023

There was only one milestone Kipyegon had not achieved in her entire career, setting a world record. She did exactly that on 2 June when she clocked 3:49.11. This made her the first woman in history to run the 1500 m race under 3:50.

A week later on 9 June, Kipyegon broke the 5000 m world record of 14:06.62 which had been set in 2020. She finished the race with a time of 14:05.20. This came as a big surprise given that it was her first time since 2015 and third time ever to compete in the race.

Consequently, Kipyegon became the second woman and first Kenyan in history to simultaneously hold both the 1500 m and 5000 m records.

However, her 5000 m record was smashed by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay on 17 September 2024 after clocking14:00.21 at the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic in Eugene.

On 7 July 2024 at the Wanda Diamond League in Paris, Faith wiped out her previous 1500 m World record by 0.07 seconds after stopping the clock in 3:49.04. She made history as the only female athlete in the world to the race in under three minutes and fifty seconds, not once but twice.

Faith Kipyegon Achievements, Awards and Medals

Achievements

• Highest world ranking: First in 1500 m (2023)
• Personal best: 1000 m- 2:29.15 African record (Monaco 2020), 1500 m- 3:49.04 World record (Florence 2023), One mile- 4:07.64 World record (Monaco 2023), 5000 m- 14:05.20 (Paris 2023)

Awards

• World Athlete of the Year 2023: Women’s track.
• Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH) of Kenya: 2023

Medals

Junior level

• World Youth Championships: Gold 1500 m (2011 Villeneuve-d’Ascq)
• World Junior Championships: Gold 1500 m (2012 Barcelona)
• African Cross Country Championships: Gold (Cape Town 2012)
• World Cross Country Championships: Silver (2011 Junior team- Punta Umbria, 4X Gold (2010 and 2013 junior team- Bydgoszcz, 2013 Bydgoszcz, 2011Punta Umbria)

Senior level

• Olympic Games: 2X Gold 1500 m (2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo)
• Diamond League: 4X Champion 1500 m (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• World Championships: 2X Silver 1500 m (2015, Beijing, 2019 Doha), 3X Gold 1500 m (2017 London, 2022 Eugene, 2023 Budapest), Gold 5000 m (2023 Budapest)
• Commonwealth Games: Gold 1500 m (2014 Glasgow)
• World Cross Country: Gold (2017 Kampala)
• African Cross Country: 2X Gold- race and team (2014 Kampala)

National titles

• Kenyan Cross Country Championships: Senior women’s race (2014, 2015)
• SOYA award for Best Athlete of the Year 2023

Faith Kipyegon Net worth

As at 2023, the world record holder has a net worth of approximately $6 million. Her major sources of income are athletics and endorsement deals.