By Alex Castle
PALO ALTO, Calif. — If this year’s world championship final is anything like the Prefontaine Classic’s women’s 1,500 meters, then Doha is due for a thrilling race to the podium.
In her return from a 21-month maternity break, 2016 Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon surprised herself and held on for the win at Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field on Sunday despite a desperate push from runner-up Laura Muir and an urgent kick from third-place finisher Shelby Houlihan in the final 100 meters.
“It’s really amazing,” Kipyegon said. “I really thank God for this gift, and I’m happy to be back again and running.”
Kipyegon’s win, which she said she didn’t expect, clocked in at 3 minutes, 59.04 seconds and was barely over one second faster than fifth-place finisher Winnie Nanyondo. Muir finished in 3:59.47, and Houlihan crossed the line in 3:59.64.
With 150 meters to go, Kipyegon felt comfortable leading a tight group of runners but knew a close finish was coming.
“I was like, ‘Now is my time to go’ or ‘If maybe I go someone is coming from the back,’” she said.
Turns out both were true.
Kipyegon separated herself briefly as she entered the final stretch with the defending Diamond League champion Muir trailing her, only for reigning world No. 1 Houlihan and her trademark kick to push her from sixth to third with 50 meters to go. Sensing both of them threatening, Kipyegon turned her head just long enough to see that she’d cross the line first.
“I was feeling strong,” she said. “I was just trying to go with the group, and I was feeling great.”
Muir, who won double golds at the European indoors in March, said she was happy with her performance despite falling short amid windy conditions.
“I tried to push it into the wind maybe a little bit too much, and it picked up more than I thought,” Muir said of the final 100 meters. “But I wanted to give it a good shot. Hats off to Faith. She’s a great tactician.”
In the end, the top three finishers were separated by a mere 0.6 seconds with Gudaf Tsegay clocking in right behind them and giving the event its fourth sub-4-minute finisher.
Sunday was only the second time that Kipyegon was entered in the same race with Muir and Houlihan, and she is hoping it will help her win once again at this year’s world championships.
“Now I know where I need more in forecasting for Doha,” she said.
After giving birth a year ago — Kipyegon celebrated her daughter’s first birthday on June 21 — the 2017 world champion and two-time world No. 1 restarted her training in January. Though she joked she had a “big body,” Kipyegon said she hasn’t struggled in her return to the track.
Sunday also marked Houlihan’s first outdoor race of the year after being sidelined for six weeks with a foot injury from the indoor season. She said it gave her a strong starting point for the summer.
“I’m happy with it—it’s a good opener,” Houlihan said. “Now is not the time to be fighting for a medal—that’s in October.”
Despite missing some valuable training time, the defending U.S. champion said the time off was also helpful.
“I felt like it was a good time to have a mental break from the rigorous workouts and practice,” she said. “I wasn’t too bent out of shape about it.”
For Muir, who already won in Stockholm and finished second in Rome this season, the Pre Classic was an opportunity to see where the returning runners were at in their fitness.
“For me it was kind of a question mark,” Muir said. “It’s great to see they’re running fast, and hopefully, we can push each other on.”
When the three contenders will toe the line together again is unknown. But with all three focused on the world championships in Doha this fall, Muir said all she can do is train her hardest and hope to execute her tactics perfectly when they do.
