Kenyan middle-distance sensation Faith Kipyegon, who had a remarkable 2023, setting world records and clinching gold medals at the World Championships in Budapest, has revealed a deeply personal and inspiring aspect of her journey.

Kipyegon, who is the favorite for the World Athletics' Women Athlete of the Year for 2023, credited none other than Jamaican sprinting legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as the driving force behind her triumphant return to athletics.

Kipyegon's journey to success included a maternity break in 2017, a pause she took to welcome her daughter Alyn in June 2018. Since her return, she has consistently delivered stellar performances, proving that motherhood need not be a barrier to athletic achievement. However, her path to victory wasn't always straightforward, and it was during these challenging times that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's story served as a guiding light.

Fraser-Pryce, renowned for her blistering speed on the track, chose to put her career on hold in 2017 to give birth to her son, Zyon. In the years that followed, she not only made a stunning return to athletics winning World 100m titles in 2019 and 2022, but also became an advocate for mothers, both in and beyond the world of sports.

Kipyegon reminisced about a pivotal encounter in 2019 during the World Championships in Doha, where Fraser-Pryce clinched a gold medal. It was during this meeting that Kipyegon found her inspiration.

"Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce inspired me to take maternity leave and then make a comeback. We met in 2019 in Doha, where she won gold. It was from her that I garnered the courage to believe that we can take maternity leave and still return to win on the track. This has shown other runners that it's possible to return from maternity leave and achieve victory," Kipyegon revealed in a candid interview on JK Live.

Kipyegon, who became the first woman to win the 1500m and 5000m titles at one world championships, is among 11 nominees for World Athletics’ Women Athlete of the Year along with Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, the USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson, Gudaf Tsegay, who broke Kipyegon’s 5000m world record in September, Tigst Assefa, Femke Bol from the Netherlands, Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi, Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine and Spain’s Maria Perez.

The story of Faith Kipyegon's triumphant return to athletics serves as an inspiration not just for athletes but for all mothers who aspire to achieve their dreams while embracing the joys of motherhood. It highlights the power of determination, perseverance, and the support and inspiration one can find in the experiences of fellow athletes like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Kyron McMaster and Roshawn Clarke both advanced to the final of the men’s 400m hurdles on day three of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Monday.

McMaster ran a composed 47.72 to win the first semi-final ahead of Estonia’s Rasmus Magi (48.30) and the USA’s CJ Allen (48.30). Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Jaheel Hyde, had a blistering first half of the race before fading in the final 200m to finish fourth in 48.49.

Rai Benjamin (47.24) and defending champion Alison Dos Santos (47.38) were comfortably the top two finishers in the second semi-final. France’s Ludvy Vaillant finished third in 48.48, knocking Hyde out of one of the non-automatic qualifying spots.

The third semi-final saw World Record holder Karsten Warholm look awesome in running 47.08 to win ahead of Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke and USA’s Trevor Bassitt.

Clarke’s time in second was 47.34, a new national record and world junior record while Bassitt’s time of 47.38 in third was also good enough to take him to the final.

The final is scheduled for Wednesday at 2:50pm Jamaica time.

Eilish McColgan says winning gold at this summer’s World Championships is a “pipe dream” and she is instead focusing on breaking the 30-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres.

The 32-year-old Scot is recovering from the knee injury which forced her to pull out of the London Marathon last month just days before the race.

She returned to light training at the weekend with the August event in Budapest in her sights but admits that her time on the sidelines has severely hampered her chances of topping the podium.

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McColgan has had incredible success in the 10,000 metres over recent years, winning gold in the European Championships in 2021 and then at the Commonwealth Games 12 months later before creating history in March of this year by setting a new British record of 30:00.86.

And now she wants to become the first non-African-born woman to go under 30 minutes.

On her chances of winning gold in Budapest she told the PA news agency: “That would exceed my goals right now because of the setbacks I have had. I think it would be a pipe dream right now, but I am not going to set myself any real limits.

“To be in Budapest and be at the start and healthy would be a big achievement to be honest.

“But my big thing this year would be to break the 30 minutes in the 10k. I think there are only 12 women in the world who have done that, it would be a big achievement for me.

“Earlier in the year I had no doubt I could break 30 minutes, now there is a little bit of a doubt because I haven’t been able to train for the last so many weeks.

“It does put a little bit of a question mark over whether I can do it and perhaps that is one for next season, but it would be really nice to be in Budapest and be competitive.

“To be in the top six fastest women in the world… that would be a great achievement.”

It has been a frustrating few weeks for McColgan, having to rehab her knee problem, which fortunately did not need surgery.

And she cites recovering from injuries as one of the main triggers of stress in her job, especially as she says that her method of dealing with it is to go out and run.

“It’s a very privileged job that I have, it is not quite the same pressures as other people may have but we are still humans, we are not robots at the end of the day, so we do have pressures,” McColgan added.

“The biggest pressure is coming back from injury but we go through the same stresses as everyone else because with regards injury and illness, if we don’t race or compete that is how we pay our bills.

“It is the biggest pressure, coming back from injury and making sure you’re healthy.

“It is maybe more challenging for myself, running is ultimately what can cause my stress but it is what I use as a stress release. That is difficult if I am injured and I can’t do the thing I love.

“You train hard for years of your career for months and months on end to race. That lends itself to pressure, you build yourself up to that one event.

“Usually it’s the World Championships or Olympic Games because it is one day every four years where you have to be ready. It is quite big stakes when it is one day in four years.

“You think, ‘s***, that is not easy’. It is challenging to get the right balance of really enjoying your sport without it becoming too intense.”

A recent study has revealed that 85 per cent of people say sweating can increase stress levels, even though it is proven to have health benefits.

McColgan is part of deodorant brand Bionsen’s ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’ campaign, which aims to remove the stigma of sweating and offer tips on how to manage stress.

McColgan added: “I don’t think people should be afraid to sweat. A few years ago it was almost like women didn’t want to be seen to be sweating, but now it is more of a confidence thing. Being active and keeping fit and being afraid to sweat is hard work, but that is what it takes.”

:: Bionsen’s full deodorant range is available from £2.69 at a variety of retailers including Boots, Amazon and Bionsen’s website: https://bionsen.uk/

The World Athletics Council has decided to postpone the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 23, scheduled for 13-14 May 2023, until April/May 2025 (exact dates to be confirmed).

Due to the ongoing pandemic conditions, this decision was taken with the agreement of the Guangzhou organising committee (LOC) and the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA).

The decision to delay the World Athletics Relays impacts the qualification system for the relay events at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. Therefore, the World Athletics Competition Commission, upon approval of the Council, has revised the qualification system to include the top eight teams from the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 and the top eight teams from the performance lists.

The philosophy is to replicate a similar qualification system by still qualifying part of the field through direct competition and part through performance in the qualification period.

Details of the changes to the Budapest qualification system are outlined here.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “It is regrettable when we have to postpone an event. However, World Athletics and the local organising committee are committed to the responsible planning and delivery of the World Athletics Relays, which includes ensuring that athletes from all international federations can participate in and enjoy an experience in a safe and healthy environment.

“I want to thank our colleagues at the Chinese Athletics Association and the LOC for their efforts and cooperation in resolving this situation and look forward to 2025 when our hosts are able to stage a spectacular World Athletics Relays.”

The host of the 2024 World Athletics Relays is set to be awarded by the World Athletics Council at their meeting in Rome, Italy, on 30 November.