Mageean has full Faith in 'greatest ever' Kipyegon

Ciara Mageean is getting ready to do battle with the best middle-distance runners on the globe at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest this weekend and she's doing it in full belief that all is, thankfully, exactly as it seems in the star-studded 1500m division.

Mageean has had a front-row seat for Faith Kipyegon’s record-breaking 2023 season with the Kenyan racing home all alone ahead of the pack in Florence two months ago to knock almost a full second off the world mark for 1500m which had been set by Genzebe Dibaba back in 2015.

Kipyegon was embraced warmly by her vanquished competitors after the finish line, Mageean included, but, athletics being what it is and history being history, there will always be questions about whether or not we actually can believe our eyes when we witness these earth-scorching showings.

Mageean is confident, however, that Kipyegon’s exploits are something that the sport can be proud of and that her achievements will stand the test of time and, more importantly, the scrutiny of the sport’s Athlete Integrity Unit.

"It’s a pretty tough question. You’re being asked if you believe somebody is clean or not," Mageean admitted. "It is hard. As an athlete, I’m in my own path and witnessing Faith’s world record this year has been just phenomenal. I feel very lucky just to be part of a really lovely women’s 1500m field. I actually don’t know if any of the other fields in athletics are like this."

The team spirit among the middle-distance fraternity is certainly unmistakable. Pictures of a beaming Kipyegon surrounded by her seemingly equally delighted competitors were plentiful after her Florence demolition job. Mageean seems energised by the ultra-supportive atmosphere.

"We’re all just a really