Faith Kipyegon swept to the women's 1500m title at the world athletics championships in Budapest on Tuesday night to add the world championships crown to her world record over the distance.

In the prelude to the race, the 29-year-old Kenyan insisted she was not concerned with the time needed to defend her title from Eugene but was focused on the gold medal.

She kept to her word at the National Athletics Centre.

She was composed and steely-eyed as the runners took the bell for the final lap. With the 21-year-old Ethiopian Diribe Welteji and the 2019 world champion Sifan Hassan in close attendance, she simply accelerated and stretched the field.

She finished in 3:54.87 - more than five seconds off the world record time of 3:49.11 that she set on 2 June in Florence. Another record followed a week later in Paris in the 5000m and she ran the fastest mile of all time in Monaco just before the world championships.

"I'm grateful for the season I've had with the world records," said Kipyegon. "I ran my race," she added. "We were all strong in the final. Nowadays if you want to win the 1500m you have to run 3:55 and below. It was a fast race and I'm just so happy I was able to defend my title."

Welteji claimed the silver to confirm her rising promise and Hassan got the bronze for the Netherlands.

It was a third gold for Kipyegon at the world championships following triumphs in London in 2017 and Eugene last year.

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