Kenya's 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon is in line to win more millions in the final race of the season.
Kipyegon was invited and is set to feature in the Athlos meet in New York this Thursday, September 26, alongside other Kenyan superstars.
The Athlos Meet, which was founded by Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian, is one of the highest-paying events, with Ohanian announcing that the prize money would be hefty. It is an invite-only race.
“We want to bring something to this sport that hasn't quite been done before. It’s a privilege to invest in women athletes,” he said ahead of the unique women-only event.
He added, “We’ve set a record with our Ksh7.7 million (USD60,000) cash prize, double what an athlete would earn at the end of a typical season.”
The total prize pot has been set at Ksh14.3 million (USD110,500) per race, with the winners set to take home Ksh7.7 million (USD60,000).
Second-placed finishers will pocket KSh3.2 million (USD25,000) while third-place finishers will get KSh1.2 million (USD10,000).
Athletes who end in fourth, fifth and sixth position will not walk away empty-handed, as they will also take home KSh1.03 million (USD 8,000), KSh645,872 (USD5,000) and KSh322,936 - (USD2,500) respectively.
Another Kenyan to keep an eye on will be the 800m queen Mary Moraa, who will be competing against Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin and Uganda's Halimah Nakaayi among other renowned names.
Despite her undeniable prowess in the 1500m, Kipyegon will not have it easy at the Icahn Stadium in New York City. Other renowned athletes set to compete against her include her Kenyan counterpart Susan Ejore, the Ethiopian duo of Gudaf Tseguy and Diribe Welteji, United States' Cory McGee and Great Britain's Katie Snowden.
Kipyegon has had a stellar season, which she kicked off with a win in the Paris Diamond League where she shattered her own 1500m record. She followed up this win with another impressive showing at the Paris Olympics where she secured an Olympic gold and set a record in the 1500m (3:51.29) in the process.
Another victory followed for Kipyegon in the Rome Diamond League finals, which she won by clocking 3:54.75.
Finally, she secured victory in the Diamond League 1500m finals in Brussels, clocking 3:54.75.
