LONDON- - Kenya's Faith Kipyegon added the world title to her 2016 Olympic gold when she won a superb women's 1,500 metres final in a white-hot London Stadium atmosphere on Monday, judging her charge to perfection and holding off the field.
Kipyegon, silver medallist two years ago, took up the running with 600 to go and was stride for stride with in-form Sifan Hassan until the Dutchwoman faded in the closing stages while Kipyegon stayed strong to cross the line in four minutes, 2.59 seconds.
Jenny Simpson of the United States, the 30-year-old 2011 champion, also showed great track nous as she slipped up the inside and finished like a teenage sprinter to take second.
800 metres specialist Caster Semenya of South Africa also powered through on the line to grab the bronze.
"I knew it would be fast, it is such a quality field," Kipyegon said. "The best was going to win here. It was always going to be quick and competitive."
After a relatively low-key night's action, the 55,000 crowd roared their encouragement to home hopes Laura Muir and Laura Weightman to create a vibrant atmosphere.
Muir had travelled to Rio with real medal hopes last year after a stellar season but failed to live with the last-lap pace in the Olympic final and finished seventh.
This time she had vowed not to repeat that error and set the pace from the start and, though it was not a particularly punishing one, her positive move sent the crowd into a frenzy.
After a slow second lap, however, Kipyegong and Hassan, the fastest over the distance in the world this year, took it up with 600 to go but Muir and Simpson stayed in their wake in a thrilling last 300.
It was the Kenyan who had the superior staying power, however, as she drove through the line for a brilliant win.
Hassan, who slipped to fifth, and then Muir, fourth, ran out of gas over the last few metres, allowing Simpson and Semenya, who has barely run a 1,500 in her career but has been unbeatable over two laps, to snatch the minor medals. "My coach has been telling me all day, 'Be willing to run your guts out and you'll be great', so I did exactly what she said," Simpson said.
"The last 300 metres in particular I ran my guts out and it paid off.
"Having the experience is huge because having the ability to stay calm is so hard, especially at the world championships when you're racing in a beautiful stadium like this. To come out with a medal, I think it was down to keeping my wits about me."
Defending champion and world record holder Genzebe Dibaba, the Ethiopian who had made the final only as a fast loser, looked short of fitness, was never in contention, and finished last.
