Kenya’s triple Olympic champion and world 1500m record-holder Faith Kipyegon made a commanding 10km road debut, clocking 29 minutes 46 seconds to win the Monaco Run on Sunday 15, 2026.
The 32-year-old, who holds five world championship track titles across the 1500m and 5000m, opened her 2026 season with a performance that places her joint 14th on the world all-time list for the distance.
Kipyegon passed 5km in 14:59 before accelerating over the final stretch to secure her win, running alongside compatriots Benard Soi and Yonah Mateiko.
“What a beautiful morning! Grateful for my 29:47 10k debut on the roads and already looking forward to more,” she wrote on her social media pages after the win. “Thanks a lot to @monacorun for the organization and to everyone for the support!”
Her last race came at the Tokyo World Championships in September 2025, where she finished runner-up in the 5000m final. Kipyegon also set her world mile record of 4:07.64 in Monaco in 2023, underscoring her affinity for the course.
In the day’s other highlighted events, Dutch athlete Diane van Es broke her national record to win the women’s 5km in 14:33—the second-fastest road time ever by a European. Belgium’s Jana Van Lent took second in 14:48, a national record, while Slovenia’s Klara Lukan finished third in 15:04.
Van Es holds the ratified European record of 14:39 from Monaco last year, though Italy’s Nadia Battocletti has since run 14:32, pending ratification. In the men’s 5km, Tim Verbaandert led a Dutch one-two finish in 13:24, with Juan Zijderlaan second in 13:28 and France’s Valentin Gondouin third in 13:29.
