Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon wasn’t sure she could win after giving birth to her daughter. Now, she says her little girl is the reason she’s a champion.
The middle-distance star has two Olympic titles to her name - not to mention three world records She’ll be aiming to make her daughter proud in Paris.
CGTN’s Michael Marillier has the story.
#paris2024 #olympics #kenya #kipyegon
The middle-distance star has two Olympic titles to her name - not to mention three world records She’ll be aiming to make her daughter proud in Paris.
CGTN’s Michael Marillier has the story.
#paris2024 #olympics #kenya #kipyegon
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NewsTranscript
00:00Faith Kipiagon is a superstar on and off the track. The Kenyan won gold in the 1500m at the
00:062016 Olympics. She then defended her title at the Tokyo Games in 2021. And she just seems to get
00:14better with time. Kipiagon was nominated as the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year in 2023.
00:21She set three world records in less than 50 days, breaking the record for the 1500m,
00:27the mile and 5000m. She was also crowned World Track Athlete of the Year. That's her
00:35with her trophy. And she really sums it up in that post, saying today is a beautiful closure
00:41of an amazing year for me. Kipiagon's story is not just about records. She became a mother in 2018,
00:49giving birth to her daughter Aline. There she is on her fifth birthday. Kipiagon has admitted she
00:55wasn't sure she could return to her best after having a child. But she managed to defend her
01:01Olympic title. And she says Aline inspired her to keep winning. She's now a symbol for female
01:07athletes around the world. And she's not afraid to speak up. This was her message on International
01:13Women's Day. Becoming a mother did not make me less ambitious. Kipiagon is also a role model
01:19in her home country. One of Kenya's major newspapers named her Person of the Year,
01:26splashing her image across its front page. She even met with President William Ruto after breaking
01:33those records. And of course, little Aline tagged along, taking center stage on the red carpet.
01:40Kenya loves Kipiagon, but Kipiagon also loves Kenya. She posts lots of pictures of her training
01:46sessions back home. And very often she's running on a dirt track. You really get the sense that
01:51she's passionate about her sport and her country. Now, Kenya has been in turmoil in recent weeks
01:57with people hitting the streets to protest tax hikes. It could do with some good news.
02:02And you can be certain Kipiagon's fans will keep the faith.