NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon has had her answer on where she ranks a month to the World Championships when she lost out to Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan at the Paris Diamond League meeting.
However, the Kenyan will not take the loss on a chin as she seeks to work on her finishing kick and improve her performance, which she believes will enable her rebound to winning status in London.
"Paris meeting was significant to me. I started my training late and have been doing catch up. The race in Paris gave me the feedback I needed for the worlds, which are only a month away," said Kipyegon on Monday.
Last year, running against the odds, Kipyego managed to grab the gold medal at the Rio Olympics, which saw the Kenyan government secure her home and connect it to the national power grid lighting up her father's house.
She hopes the same gesture will continue coming her way if she continues to do well on the international scene. This might be just what she needs to get inspired for the London World Championships.
However, she must be wary of new talent exhibited by world leader Hassan and the challenge she anticipates from Ethiopians Gudaf Tsegay, Genzebe Dibaba, German Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Britain's Laura Muir.
Hassan from Netherlands has been holding the fort this season posting fast times, which has left her rivals struggling to equal.
In Paris, she held on steadfastly to a lead that was challenged all the way round the final bend and down the finishing straight by Kipyegon.
Hassan, who heads this year's world list with 3:56.14 from Hengelo (Germany) last month, had the strength to take maximum Diamond League points on the road to the final.
She clocked 3:57.10, the third fastest time seen this year, with Kipyegon second in a season's best of 3:57.51 ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who claimed third place in a personal best of 3:59.55 ahead of Poland's Angelika Cichocka, whose 4:01.61 was also a personal best.
The quartet will again meet in London, where Kipyegon hopes she will have recovered and worked on her skills to stage another quest in her bid to win her first world title.
Kipyegon finished second in Beijing World Championships in a race won by Dibaba in 2015.
