Kenya’s Faith Chepng’etich has dedicated her women’s 1500m gold medal won on Tuesday night to her boyfriend and family.
She, however, declined to divulge his name, saying he will know once he gets the message.
Chepng’etich fought off stiff opposition to win gold for Kenya in the women’s 1500m at the Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium on Tuesday here in Rio.
Chepng’etich clocked 4:08.92 to relegate Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba tosecond place in 4:10.27 with United States’ Jennifer Simpson clocking 4:10.53 to settle for bronze.
Chepng’etich said she was prepared for the race and it had not mattered to her whether it was going to be fast or slow.
“I was prepared for any pace and my focus was on Genzebe. I knew she would kick with 800m to go and I was ready to take her on,” she said.
Chepng’etich said the moment Dibaba started accelerating, she followed and this made her panic.
She, however, admitted t she was not sure if she was going to win a gold medal. It came as a surprise in the end.
“With Genzebe around, I knew it was not going to be easy and that is why I was cautious with my tactics. I knew I had done it after seeing Genzebe trailing from a distance on the big screen,” she added.
She thanked Kenyans for the support and prayers.
Genzebe on her part, said she has been through so much recently and did not have good preparations. She, however, said she is satisfied with her silver medal win considering Ethiopians have not performed well in middle distance events.
Race-wise, Chepngetich was a lone ranger after the exit of Viola Lagat. She kept faith and fought hard from start to end.
Read: In pictures: Faith Kipyegon takes 1500m gold.
Courtesy of the-star.co.ke