Diamond League: Faith Kipyegon, Timothy Cheruiyot shine in finale

• Kenyans shone brightly in different races in the Diamond League in Zurich on Thursday, September 9
• Faith Kipyegon and Emmanuel Korir reciprocated their performances in the Olympics to win their respective races
• Timothy Cheruiyot also beat Olympic champion in the men’s 1500m in what was a pulsating race

Kenya’s Olympics heroes were at it again in the Diamond League as they put out some thrilling performances to clinch victories in different races.

The likes of Faith Kipyegon and Timothy Cheruiyot in particular excited Kenyans with some emphatic victories over tough competition.

Kipyegon became the Diamond League champion after defeating arch-rival Sifan Hassan in the 1500m in a pulsating race in Zurich.

In a hotly contested race, Kipyegon burst to life in the final 100m to narrowly edge Sifan, who clocked 3:58:55 compared to the Kenyan’s 3:58:33.

It was the perfect revenge for Kipyegon, who lost out to Hassan by more than two seconds back in 2019.

The pair’s arch rivalry heightened since 2019, and they initially met again in July at the 2021 Mnaco league meet where Kipyegon defeated Hassan by two and a half seconds.

And at the Tokyo Olympics, Kipyegon earned the country its second gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics thanks to an emphatic performance in the women’s 1500m finals at the expense of Hassan.

Men’s 800m: Korir reclaims Diamond League trophy

In the men’s 800m, Emmanuel Korir, an Olympic champion, clocked 1:44:56 to reclaim the Diamond League title which he won three years ago.

Korir, the sixth fastest 800m runner of all time, burst into the lead to overcome compatriot Ferguson Rotich who led a large part of the race.

Notably, his race at the Diamond League saw him lower his time compared to the Olympics by nearly a second.

Timothy Cheruiyot beats Olympic champion in 1500m

In perhaps the most thrilling race in the Diamond League, World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot beat Jakob Ingebrigsten to win the men’s 1500m.

To say the race was a close-run affair would be an understatement as Cheruiyot had to fight for his win to the very end.

Ingebrigsten almost claimed another famous win as he did in the Tokyo Olympics as he threatened to edge Kenya’s Cheruiyot but the world champion did superbly to shrug of pressure to hit the finish line first in a race that as won by mere margins.

Kipchoge launches own foundation

Away from the tracks and Kenya’s marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge on Thursday, September 9 announced the launch of his own foundation.

According to the marathoner, he has always been inspired by books and he aims to spread awareness and the need for education in the community.

The foundation will be primarily focused on education and the environment and will seek to strengthen communities both locally and internationally.