My guest for this bonus episode this week is two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon. I’ve had her on the show before but I had a chance to chat with her one-on-one for a little bit on my trip to Kenya last month. This was just two weeks after she ran the world records. On June 2, she became the first woman under 3:50 for 1500m with a 3:49.11 at the Florence Diamond League. That record was a long time coming for her since she’s the undisputed greatest of all-time in the 1500m. A week later, she stunned herself running 14:05.20 to break the 5000m world record at the Paris Diamond League.

She's a big deal. If you go to Kenya, you’ll see billboards of her in Nairobi and after she broke the 1500m world record, she was swarmed by her competitors for hugs and congratulations, which just goes to show the level of respect from her peers.

When people in other sports have said that we’ve been lucky to see LeBron James or Tom Brady in their prime, track and field fans should appreciate this moment because we’re seeing one of the greatest talents ever in Faith Kipyegon and she has aspirations to run even faster.

She’s racing the mile at the Monaco Diamond League on July 21 so we’ll just wait and see if yet another record falls.

Host: Chris Chavez

Guest: Faith Kipyegon

This interview has been edited lightly for clarity. It was conducted at the Global Sports Communications camp in Kaptagat, Kenya on June 21st.

How are you feeling after the world records?

“I feel good. I feel tired at the same time. It’s life. We have to continue to push ourselves to the limits.”

My colleague, David McCarthy, was in Paris and Florence for you. He tried to interview you right after the 5000m world record. You were so emotional. You couldn’t find the words.

“It was really emotional because I was not expecting it. It just came as a surprise. When you are surprised, you get emotional and so for me, I lacked the words to say. I lacked expression. I was happy to get that world record. I was like, ‘Wow! What is this?!’"

How much of a surprise was it? In the press conference the day before, you said you just wanted to run a good race and a personal best. I talked to your coach, Patrick Sang, and he said he knew it was coming. You really didn’t expect it?

“No. I was not expecting it. I know that coach knows because he’s the one giving me training and instructing what I do every day. For me, I was not believing in myself. It was just to go to Paris and 5000m was just to enjoy the race and see what was possible. After the finish line, I was like, ‘Wow! World record!’ I crossed the line, hugged my pacemaker and she told me, ‘Did you know that was a world record!?’ I told her, ‘No! It’s not a world record!’"

Even in the race, you didn’t realize how fast you were going?

“I didn’t realize it because I didn’t want to concentrate on the laps and time. It had been a very, very long time (since I ran a 5000m). I did it eight years ago. I didn’t want to concentrate on the laps and just said, ‘Just keep going! Just keep going, Faith! Don’t look at the laps.’ If I could see the laps, I could get tired. Let me just keep going and focus on myself to the finish line."

You famously had been chasing that 1500m world record for years. Patrick told me the story about how you asked him to coach you. Why?

“Since I joined Patrick, it has been successful years for me. I was alone back where I was in Keringet. I thought, ‘Let me switch to the Global camp in Kaptagat and meet with Patrick.’ I said to him, ‘Here I am. I want to train with you and enjoy the sport together.’ Since I joined him, he’s been an amazing guy and an amazing coach."

He noted that he had never asked you for any previous workouts or training logs. He wanted to work from a clean slate. Was that interesting?

“He hasn’t asked what I was doing before. In 2019, he didn’t ask me. I just joined him. I was fresh from maternity leave. I told him that I wanted to come to you, train with you and see what would be possible in the years to come. Since I joined, it has been really pleasant years for me.”

Coming back from maternity leave, can you describe how challenging it was to come back?

“It was challenging…It’s all about the mind and dedication to accept what has happened with the changes in your body. Know that you will reduce the weight and just be an athlete – an elite athlete, just like you were before. For me, I just believed in the team – Patrick, the coaches, the physios and my manager. I knew that if the people around me believed in me, I will come back strong. I had to believe also that I will come back strong. It challenged me a lot. It was all about the people and for me to accept it and move on.”

What was the patience like?

“It’s not easy. I know at the moment that I’ve inspired women and showed them that everything is possible in going to maternity leave. If you are an athlete or if you are a nurse or a doctor, you still have to wake up that morning and go to work to provide for your child…I take it as motivation and I want to empower women that I still want to do more and more and more to show other women that everything is possible in life.”

Are there any other mothers that you look up to? Is it someone like Serena Williams or anyone?

“I admire Rhianna a lot. When I see Rhianna performing, especially with the pregnancy, it motivated me a lot. Maternity leave will not let our decisions or desires take us out of what we want to do in our lives. Seeing Rhianna on that stage performing really motivated me a lot.”

What are you most excited about right now?

“This journey is all about the legacy I want to leave behind to motivate the young generation. It’s not all about getting the world record and we are done. I still need more to motivate the young generation to know that ‘Faith was there and she did this. She was the Olympic champion and world champion. Now she’s a record holder.’ I still need to show girls the way and all women.”

Your training partner told me 3:47 is possible.

(Laughs) “Yes, of course! Everything is possible as Eliud says. Everything is possible.”

Listen to the episode on the CITIUS MAG Podcast feed. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major podcast publishers.