Faith Kipyegon during a previous race/ FILEQuadruple world 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon is expected to sit out the remainder of the 2026 season after revealing that a hamstring injury suffered in May has forced her to step away from competition.
Kipyegon has struggled to reproduce her usual dominance in her last two Diamond League outings, with the injury seemingly taking the edge off what had promised to be another impressive campaign. On July 4, the Kenyan suffered a rare defeat in the mile at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing third in 4:17.80.
The result ended Kipyegon’s unbeaten run on the track mile, although she had previously lost a road mile at the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, where she settled for bronze in 4:24.13.
On the track, Kipyegon had remained the undisputed queen of the mile, setting the world record of 4:07.64 in Monaco in 2023. At the Prefontaine Classic, American Nikki Hiltz produced a blistering late kick to win in 4:17.49, with compatriot Dorcus Ewoi second in 4:17.62.
Kipyegon endured another setback on July 10 at the Monaco Diamond League, finishing fourth in the 3,000m in 8:24.21. Compatriot Agnes Ngetich, the world 10,000m record holder, won in 8:08.95, with Ethiopians Aleshign Baweke (8:23.81) and Senayet Getachew (8:24.02) completing the podium.
The fourth-place finish was Kipyegon’s first failure to reach the podium at a major race since the 2017 World Cross Country Championships. She has now disclosed that a hamstring injury has disrupted her season.
“As athletes, we ask a lot from our bodies. There is always a thin line between being fit and the risk of injury,” Kipyegon said. “Since the end of May, I have been dealing with a hamstring injury, and unfortunately it needs a bit longer to recover than I had hoped.”
Before the injury affected her campaign, Kipyegon had made an impressive start to 2026. On February 15, she won her first road race, dominating the Monaco 10km in 29:47. Britain’s Maddie Jordan-Lee finished second in 34:24, while Augustine Emeraux-Lombard was third in 34:50.
She followed that performance with victory in the 5,000m at the Shanghai Diamond League, clocking 14:24.14 after producing her trademark finishing kick to edge Ethiopians Likina Amebaw (14:24.21) and Senayet Getachew (14:24.71). Kipyegon said stepping away from competition was necessary to allow her to recover fully.
“I know that taking care of it now is the most important thing I can do to come back at my best. “So for now, I will take time to heal, recover and get back stronger. I’ll be back.”
