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Three-time Olympics champion Faith Kipyegon has shared how being a mother has helped her stay on top of the game given the tough questions she gets from her daughter when she loses.
Multiple Olympics and world champion Faith Kipyegon has shared how being a mother has given her extra energy whenever she goes to compete at international events.
Kipyegon gave birth to her daughter Alyn in June 2018 and she admits it changed her perspective on life and approach to races as she is now not running just for herself but for her daughter as well.
What has been more challenging is ensuring she stays on top of her game as her daughter grows older given the six-year-old is now asking hard questions unlike before when she was younger and did not know much about competition.
“Motherhood gives me life as a runner. I’ve gotten extra energy from being a mother to Alyn,” Kipyegon said during an interview with Nike.
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13:00 - 25.10.2024
Faith Kipyegon to receive honorary doctorate degree from University of Eldoret
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“She sees how committed I am, how hard I work. During the season, she understands that I go to training camp from Monday to Saturday, and then I go back home, only to spend one day with her. It’s really not easy, but she understands the sacrifices I’m making. She motivates me to work as hard as I can.
“I talk to my daughter before every race. She normally says the same thing to me: She wishes me all the best, and she asks me to bring chocolate back home — and the gold medal.”
The 30-year-old says she cannot dare lose a race now because her daughter will be on her neck, seeking to find out why she was not top and while it is a good source of motivation, it can be hard to explain when things do not go right on the track.
“Motherhood can affect how you see your running career. My approach to Rio, Tokyo and Paris were all totally different. My first gold medal in Rio, I was 22, so young. I was still running for myself,” adds Kipyegon.
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“In Tokyo, I had my daughter around me, but she was only three years old, and she couldn’t fully understand what I was doing. She was watching me and going, ‘Mommy’s running,’ not, ‘Mommy’s running for a gold medal.’
“In Paris, she knows what it’s like when I win, but she also knows what it’s like when I lose. After the 5,000 in Paris, she called me and asked, ‘Mom, why were you in position two this time? What happened?.’
“It’s very difficult to explain to a child what happened in a race while still being a role model to her. It’s totally different from Rio. Today, I’m running to inspire my daughter and other young girls like her.”
Kipyegon is off a great season when she won Olympics gold in 1,500m, becoming the first athlete to win three straight titles over the distance, while she also claimed silver in 5,000m.
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15:29 - 24.10.2024
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Faith Kipyegon has expressed her gratitude after being nominated for the 2024 World Athletics Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, following a record-breaking season and her third Olympic 1500m
She had broken her world record in 1,500m just before the Olympics and also won her fifth Diamond League title at the season finale in Brussels before completing her campaign with victory at the lucrative women’s-only Athlos meet.
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