This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
At the World Athletics Championships, Faith Chepng'etich, the reigning world 1,500 meters champion, is set to face a tough competition in the 1500m final on Saturday night. The Kenyan athlete, who won the title two years ago, will be up against a star-studded lineup that includes Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan, who has already won a gold medal in the women's 10,000m event.
On Friday, Chepng'etich timed 4 minutes, 14.98 seconds to finish fourth in her semi-final heat, while her compatriot Winnie Chebet recorded 4:01:14 to finish fifth in the second heat. Chepng'etich and Chebet will team up to face Hassan, who comfortably won heat one in 4:14.69, as well as American Shelby Houlinan (4:14.91) and Morocco's Rababe Arafi (4:14.94).
According to Chebet, the semi-final race was difficult, and she hopes to win a medal in the final. 'We had big names in the semi-finals and now that we have qualified for the final, I pray that I win a medal on Saturday,' Chebet said.
However, Hassan poses a significant threat to Chepng'etich's title defense, having already won a gold medal in the women's 10,000m event. The Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete has a history of success in the 1500m event, having claimed bronze in the 2015 edition of the games and finishing fifth in the 2017 edition.
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding Hassan's coach, Alberto Salazar, continues to cast a shadow over the World Championships. Salazar was banned for four years by the US Anti-Doping Agency, and runners linked to him are still digesting the news. Despite this, Hassan chose not to speak to reporters after winning her 1,500m semi-final.
Reigning Olympic 1,500m champion Matthew Centrowitz, who split with Salazar in 2018, also declined to comment after finishing third in his heat to reach the semi-finals. 'I'll speak after the championships, but right now my focus is the competition,' Centrowitz said.
However, Oregon Project runner Craig Engels was more forthright, saying he had never seen anything suspicious in his two years with the Portland-based outfit. 'No, not at all,' Engels said when asked if anything had ever given him cause for concern.
Additional reporting by AFP.
