Faith Kipyegon from Kenya began her quest for a third consecutive Olympic 1,500-meter title on Tuesday, moving past a tough night that ended with a medal for her.
Kipyegon finished fourth in her first-round heat, which allowed her to move on to the semifinals. The night before, she won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters but lost it due to a disqualification for elbowing Gudaf Tsegay. The medal was later reinstated on appeal.
“It was very hard, very hard for me. But you just accept the outcome,” said Kipyegon, who holds the world record in the 1,500 meters. “It was good race, a lot of pushing up and down, but I believed in myself and it is finished. Now I can concentrate on the 1,500.”
Tsegay also competed and won her heat. Nikki Hiltz, who won the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials, advanced as well.
American hurdler Freddie Crittenden moved on by using the new repechage round. After feeling a minor injury during training, he decided to take it easy in the first round and won his repechage heat with a time of 13.42 seconds.
“It was just a gut feeling,” Crittenden said. “A lot of times in training you are pushing yourself, going through the pain even if it wrecks the body. But I’ve had to learn if you’re going to be elite you’ve got to listen to your body and respect what it’s telling you.”
This is the first Olympics where the repechage rule has been used to give second chances to hurdlers and runners in the 200 through 1,500 meters who don’t advance from their initial heats.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo from the Bahamas, a two-time Olympic champion in the 400 meters, saw her streak end as she finished last in her repechage heat. American Kendall Ellis advanced.
