Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon might still be the favourite to win the women's 1500m title, but if the heats was any pointer of where the title might be headed, it could be to another East African country in the direction of Gudaf Tsegay who was the fastest qualifier in the three heats.
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The Ethiopian ran a commanding race in heat 3, crossing the line in 4:02.68 to win and qualify for the semifinals. It's not just that she won, it was the manner she won the race that made her look the sharpest in all heats.
Tsegay didn't even break much sweat, she jogged the last 60m when she had comfortably secured the lead, and if she could etch out that win in such manner, maybe she can really challenge Kipyegon. Heat 3 was so fast, that the top 7 finishers which had Kenya's Winny Chebet and Winnie Nanyondo all ran under 4mins:4s in the race. Two other next best times came from the heat, making it eight athletes who qualified from Tsegay's heat.
"I am so happy to be here. Eugene is a very good track. I had a big injury in both calves before Tokyo so I am happy to be back" Tsegay said
Tsegay will pose a huge threat to Kipyegon who is aiming to reclaiming her 1500m title, after losing it to Sifan Hassan few months after she had put to bed. The four times Kipyegon has competed in the 1500m at the World Championships, she has either: finished 5th, won Silver twice and won GOLD once, at the London 2017 edition.
Much meaning shouldn't be read into Tsegay's good form though, yes she is now a strong favourite and contender, but Kipyegon did the most important aspect, winning her heat and advancing to the semis in 4:04.53. There are two more rounds to go and 1500m is not always straightforward.
"Thank God the first round is behind me. Of course, my target was to qualify for the SF and tomorrow, I hope for the best to get to the final on Monday. I came here to show something better than I did in Doha. I was coming from the maternity leave so now, I am looking forward to the competition and I will try my best” said Kipyegon.
"Now, I am strong and I hope I will do my best in the semifinal and hopefully the final. This is my fifth world championships and I can see the 1500m is crazy. It is really different than before. But whatever my opponents do, I feel ready and I wish to all of them good luck and all the best," she added.
The spotlight might be on Tsegay and Kipyegon, but they will have to be wary of the young Ethiopian, Hirut Meshesha who beat Great Britain's Laura Muir in heat 1, winning their contest in a time of 4:07.05. At the moment, it looks likely that an East African athlete will win the women's 1500m title, it's just that we don't know what country that will be.
By Charles Jerome