Faith Kipyegon explains reactions after winning silver at 5000M race

Triple Olympic women’s 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon has dismissed claims that she was disappointed with her silver medal in the Olympic 5,000m race.

In an interview with Citizen TV, Kipyegon clarified that her disappointment stemmed not from the silver medal itself, but from the shock of being disqualified without understanding what mistake she had made.

“I didn’t think I’d be disqualified. I wasn’t disappointed by winning the silver medal. My disappointment was in being disqualified without knowing what I did wrong. That 5,000m race really weighed heavily on my mind,” Kipyegon explained.

Despite the initial setback, Kipyegon expressed deep gratitude towards her team for their successful appeal, which overturned the disqualification.

She revealed that this victory in the appeal reignited her determination to pursue gold in the 1,500m race.

“I am very thankful to the team, and I’m especially grateful to those who appealed and succeeded. Their efforts truly revitalized my strength, and I knew then that with the silver secured, I had to go for the gold,” she said.

During the games, Kipyegon narrowly missed out on the gold medal in the 5,000m, finishing second behind Kenyan compatriot Beatrice Chebet.

The race was marred by controversy when Kipyegon was initially disqualified for allegedly shoving Ethiopian athlete Tsegay Gudaf, a decision made under Rule TR17.2.2 (163.2(b)) concerning jostling or obstruction.

However, Team Kenya’s successful appeal saw Kipyegon reinstated, allowing her to claim the hard-fought silver medal.