Faith Kipyegon is set to take part in another lucrative race, barely a fortnight after her heroic performance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The reigning 1500 metres world champion will return to the track on October 10, when she will join a star-studded line-up at the Athlos New York City meet - a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event.
The prestigious women-only competition was introduced in 2024 and organised by Alex Ohanian, an entrepreneur and husband to 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
This will mark the second consecutive appearance for Kipyegon at the event, offering the 31-year-old a chance to defend her title, which she emphatically won in 2024.
While Kipyegon is a heavy favourite to win the race, the four-time Olympic gold medallist will not have it easy, as she will be defending her title against familiar, talented rivals, including her Kenyan counterpart Susan Ejore, Australia’s 1500m world bronze medallist Jessica Hull, Ethiopia’s world indoor silver medallist Freweyni Hailu, 2023 world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay, and American 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz.
Last year, Kipyegon won the first edition of the invite-only event in a time of 4:04:79, beating Ethiopia's Deribe Weiteji and Ejore, who placed second and third, respectively.
Another Kenyan set to take part in the lucrative event is Mary Moraa, who has been presented a chance to claim a win after disappointment at the Tokyo Championships.
Moraa finished seventh in the women's 800m final as her counterpart Lillian Odira claimed gold. At the Athlos Meet, she faces the likes of Natoya Goule-Toppin, Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, Britain's Georgia Bell, France's Rénelle Lamote and Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma.
Payouts
The Athlos Meet is one of the highest-paying events, with Ohanian announcing that the prize money would be hefty since it is an invite-only race.
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.
