Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon shines in inaugural women-only Athlos NYC athletics meet
The event aims to build off of the star power of women’s track, with winners getting twice the prize money offered at Diamond League finale
Kenya’s Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon took a victory lap with an easy win in the 1,500 metres at the inaugural women-only Athlos NYC meet on Thursday, while Brittany Brown stunned Paris 200 gold medallist Gabby Thomas.
Launched by entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, Athlos aims to build off of the star power of women’s track, and fans piled into New York’s Icahn Stadium for a party atmosphere at the end of a busy athletics season.
The winners of each event pocketed US$60,000 Olympic champion – twice the prize money offered at the Diamond League finale – and first-place finishers each received a custom Tiffany crown.
World-record-holder Kipyegon, who claimed a third successive Olympic title in Paris, underlined her status as queen of the “metric mile” after crossing the line in four minutes, 4.79 seconds to claim victory in New York.
Ethiopian Diribe Welteji (4:05.58) could not match the Kenyan’s power in a breathless sprint finish, while Kenyan Susan Ejore-Sanders (4:06.25) was third.
American Thomas ran out of gas in the final 50 metres of her event and finished three hundredths of a second behind Paris bronze medallist Brown, who clocked 22.18.