Faith Kipyegon on motherhood and the quest for history

<i>CNN via CNN Newsource</i><br/>Middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon and her daughter Alyn. The Kenyan Olympian has continued to break records since becoming a mother

By CNN Newsource

Published July 22, 2024 2:22 AM

By Sean Coppack, CNN

Kaptagat, Kenya (CNN) — In northern Kenya, under a sunny May sky that offers a rare respite during the worst rainy season in recent memory, Faith Kipyegon pursues a singular goal: “It’s history I’m looking for,” she says.

But for the 30-year-old middle distance superstar, success is no longer simply measured in medals and records; it’s also about the profound journey of motherhood and her status as one of track and field’s greatest role models.

Having won a gold medal in the 1,500m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kipyegon’s return to the pinnacle of athletics after the birth of her daughter, Alyn, in 2018, has been nothing short of spectacular. Training in Kaptagat, a highland haven for elite athletes, alongside marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge, she prepares for the Paris Olympics with unwavering focus. Yet her daily grind is enriched and challenged by the joys and responsibilities of motherhood.

“She changed my life and my mentality,” Kipyegon says of her daughter. “I now realize that I have someone who looks up to me as a role model.” This shift in perspective has fueled her drive, leading her to another Olympic gold, at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and three world titles.

In 2023, Kipyegon cemented her legacy as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, breaking three world records across three different distances (1,500m, 1 mile, 5,000m) in less than two months — all while raising her daughter.

Kipyegon and a string of top athletes are continuing to prove that elite sport and motherhood are not incompatible. “[Jamaican sprinter] Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce came back after maternity leave, and [US runner] Allison Felix, and we met in Tokyo at the 2021 Olympic Games,” she recalls.

At those Games, Felix won a gold and a bronze and Fraser-Pryce won silver to become the most decorated 100m sprinter in Olympic history. “I think we motivate young women to know that you can go on maternity leave and come back stronger than before,” Kipyegon suggests. “They realize that it’s not the end of your life, but it can be the beginning of your life.”

History maker

Training with Kipchoge, a mentor and friend, has given Kipyegon a new perspective on running and pushed her to new heights, “I don’t know how to express it, he’s just a unique athlete,” Kipyegon says.

“I have grown as an elite athlete and as a person. To be alongside Eliud all of the time and to hear what he’s saying about motivation and about hard work … I think it has really changed my mindset and changed my goals,” she says.

Having spent much of the 2024 season recovering from a soft tissue injury, Kipyegon returned to action at the Kenyan Olympic trials in June, winning both the 1,500m and 5,000m races. She followed that up on July 7 at a Diamond League meet in Paris with a performance that defied belief, breaking her own 1,500m world record with a time of 3:49.04 (she remains the only woman to have run below 3:50).

“Everybody expects you to perform well and to be on top of the world,” she says, reflecting on whether she’s feeling any pressure to defend her Olympic title. “It’s a big event and everybody’s dreaming of getting that gold medal — well Faith is also dreaming of getting that gold medal.”

Barefoot beginnings and golden ambitions

Kipyegon’s story is not just about athletic prowess; it is a testament to resilience and inspiration. The eighth of nine children, she grew up in the rural village of Ndabibit, in western Kenya, walking and jogging several miles to and from school each day.

She shot to prominence in 2011, aged 17, when she won the World Junior Cross Country Championships, running barefoot. Those beginnings laid the foundation for her view that true success stems from within. “It’s mentality, the hard work you put in and being patient, I think that drive the success of an elite athlete,” she says.

As she gears up for Paris, Kipyegon is acutely aware of the significance of her quest to win a third consecutive gold in one event, a feat only a handful of athletes in any sport have achieved. “Going to Paris and remembering the history I’ve talked about and getting that gold medal, it’ll be a huge history for me,” she says.

Kipyegon carries with her the hopes of a nation famed for its running stars, and the legacy of countless runners who have paved the way. “I am always proud to represent Kenya,” she says. “It’s heritage, the many athletes we have from around our country … To wear the Kenya singlet, it’s really beautiful and magical.”

With the Olympic Games upon us, Kipyegon stands poised to etch her name in the annals of sports history. Her journey from a young girl running barefoot to an Olympic champion is proof that with resilience, dedication and a bit of Faith, anything is possible.