That Kenyans have for at least three decades been on top of the world in the middle distance, a speciality of athletics that rewards running over one kilometre and up to 10,000 metres, is nothing new. Those who know this country also know where the great runners come from: the north-western highlands of the Rift Valley, between Eldoret and Bomet, to the slopes of Mount Elgon. You climb up to 2800 metres and find immense ridges where you can run flat, with breathtaking views and incredible nature. Often the young people there do not start running for sport, but to avoid being late for school, climbing for kilometres and kilometres every day.
They often run barefoot and then try to do their best during sports competitions in order to get a pair of shoes as a gift. There are incredible stories of sacrifice, will and success linked to the great Kenyan middle-distance runners.
Just from Bomet comes Faith Kipyegon, who managed to achieve two extraordinary feats in a single week, which will forever etch her face and name in the history of athletics.
Faith first obliterated the previous world record in the 1500 metres with a fabulous gallop during the Diamond League in Florence, stopping the clock at 3 minutes, 49 seconds and 11 hundredths, then on Friday she incredibly smashed the 5000 metres record, which is not really her speciality (Faith triumphed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the shorter speciality) with an incredible 14: 05:20, running the last 600 metres as if she had just taken to the track and outclassing the two Ethiopian super-favourites Gidey and Eigayehu, who had been running the race with ease until then.
With the simple naturalness that characterises the 29-year-old athlete, Faith said in Paris: "I didn't think about the world record. I don't know how I did it. I just focused on the green light and tried to stay relaxed and enjoy the race, watching to see what would happen. When I saw that it was a world record, I was very surprised, I didn't think about it, I just wanted to improve myself!"
Improving Faith Kipyegon evidently means being the best in the world.