TOKYO -- Faith Kipyegon pulled away from the pack for a win everyone expected and a record-tying fourth world championship at 1,500 meters Tuesday.
Kipyegon finished in 3 minutes, 52.15 seconds, nearly three seconds ahead of her Kenyan teammate Dorcus Ewoi but about three seconds behind the world record she set earlier this year.
Running in front throughout the near four-lap journey, Kipyegon coasted into the finish to join Hicham El Guerrouj as only the second runner to win four world titles in the metric mile. She flashed four fingers after crossing the finish line.
"I'm so happy to represent my country and win medals," she said. "I think of breaking barriers every time."
The win puts an exclamation point on a season that began with her coming up short in a much-hyped quest to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile, but includes the world record and, now, title No. 4.
"The challenge was very hard," she said of the four-minute challenge. "But it gave me confidence that coming here I knew I was capable of defending my title and running a beautiful race like I did today."
In all, Kipyegon has four world and three Olympic titles at 1,500 meters, along with the 5,000 title at 2023 worlds and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She'll be back on the track this week to defend her crown in the 5,000, which should be a fairer fight. It's expected to include Gudaf Tsegay and Beatrice Chebet, who both skipped the 1,500 to focus on the 10,000.
With those two gone, and with Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji missing the worlds due to a ban stemming from missed drug tests, Australia's Jessica Hull was the only other runner in the field with one of the year's top-five marks.
Hull hung around Kipyegon for 3 1/2 laps, but the late move belonged to the Kenyan, who more than doubled her 1.31-second lead over the last 200 meters and looked fresh as she crossed the line.
Perhaps the most telling sign of how Kipyegon dominates came after the race. With Ewoi and Hull writhing on the ground, Kipyegon jogged over, patted Ewoi on the chest, then bent to grab Hull by the arm and pull her up.
Hull took bronze to go with the silver she won in Paris last year. This is the first big-time medal of any color for Ewoi, a 28-year-old Kenyan who trains in the U.S.
Nikki Hiltz had a chance in the women's 1,500 that was missing several top challengers but finished fifth.
American sprinter Cordell Tinch burst onto the scene Tuesday by claiming the men's 110m hurdles title.
Tinch, racing outside in lane 7, powered past the field in a time of 12.99 seconds to beat Orlando Bennett of Jamaica by .09 seconds. Another Jamaican, Tyler Mason, finished third. Tinch has the fastest time of the season (12.87).
He draped an American flag draped over his shoulders, took his victory bows and quickly gave his mother a shoutout into a television camera.
"Love you mom," he said.
Tinch credited both his parents for helping "me get back on my feet" during this absence from the sport, from 2019 to 2022.
"I had to take time to find myself as a man," he said, running off jobs that included cellphone salesman, paper mill worker, laborer at a moving company - and some food delivery gigs.
"You know, all the fun stuff," he said.
Tinch said the time away is a key reason the gold medal was dangling on his chest Tuesday, just below a brimming smile.
"So in three years to become the world champion - and best hurdler in the world," Tinch said. "It's been a crazy season and this is, hopefully, the first of many.
"Athletically I've always been that athlete I'm showing the world now," he added. "But I don't think mentally I was able to carry what I have to carry now. I had an entire country on my back tonight. If it would have been 2019, 2020 I don't think I would have been able to handle the pressure, handle the lights."
Tinch's win gave the U.S. its sixth gold medal after four days to go with two bronze.
America was shut out in the women's 100-meter hurdles and hammer throw and men's pole vault -- often good medal producers -- and lost a decent medal chance when Cole Hocker was disqualified in the semifinals of the 1,500.
Sixteen-year-old high school phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus failed to get out of the opening round of 800m qualifying on Tuesday.
The newly-turned pro from Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, saw his qualifying heat go awry when he was was forced into lane two by other runners - adding extra distance to the two-lap race - and couldn't climb his way into the mix.
"It just wasn't there today," Lutkenhaus said.
Lutkenhaus became the talk of track last month at U.S. championships after finishing in 1 minute, 42.27 seconds, which broke the under-18 world record.
Not only did he earn a trip to Tokyo - he's the youngest American to qualify for worlds - but that blistering time paved the way to going pro and signing a deal with Nike.
"Leaving the stadium with my head held high," Lutkenhaus added. "I don't really have any regrets from that race. You're going to have bad races occasionally."
Information from the Associated Press.