Paris 2024: Faith Kipyegon finishes fourth in 1500m heat after rollercoaster 5000m final

Fresh from a rollercoaster 5000m final where she was stripped of her silver medal but later reinstated after an appeal was made, defending Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon was back in the 1500m heat with a fourth-place finish to make the semifinals.

The legendary Kenyan runner clocked 4:00.74 in heat 2 behind race winner Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji in 3:59.73, as Great Britain's Georgia Bell was second in 4:00.29 and USA's Nikki Hiltz ran 4:00.42 for third.

Kipyegon's lukewarm performance could have boiled down to the emotional evening she had 24 hours earlier, having made to lose her 5000m silver medal won for an acclaimed shove on Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay.

However, after an appeal was made by the Kenyan Athletics of her innocence, her medal was reinstated, thus giving Kenya their first medals of Paris 2024 with Beatrice Chebet claiming the gold.

Kipyegon will be back in the semifinals gunning to make the final, where she remains the favourite for the title as the World Record holder and defending Olympic champion.