Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia, and Jessica Hull of Australia in action during the Women’s 1500m Final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Faith Kipyegon faces a surprising twist as a major 1,500m rival is ruled out before the World Championships heats begin.

Faith Kipyegon’s path toward another 1,500-meter world title began with unexpected drama as her closest rival, Ethiopian star Diribe Welteji, was declared ineligible just hours before the opening heats in Tokyo.

The decision came from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ruled that Welteji could not compete pending the outcome of a doping-related appeal.

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The ruling eliminated one of the most anticipated head-to-head storylines of the championships before the races had even begun.

“This is a huge blow not just for me, but for my country and everyone who supported me,” Welteji said after the announcement.

“I wanted to compete and prove myself on the track.”

Welteji, 23, was the silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the 2023 World Championships and is currently ranked second globally.

She also took silver at this year’s World Indoor Championships, making her one of the biggest threats to Kipyegon’s dominance.

Instead of contesting Saturday’s opening heats, Welteji was forced to watch from the sidelines.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) filed an urgent appeal against a ruling from Ethiopia’s own anti-doping panel that had cleared Welteji.

CAS confirmed that the case centered on an allegation from May, when Welteji was accused of refusing to provide a sample “without any justification.”

“As part of the appeal, the AIU has requested provisional measures from CAS declaring the athlete ineligible to compete pending the outcome of the appeal,” the AIU said.

“That application will be heard by the CAS division president who will determine whether Welteji may compete at the world athletics championships in Tokyo.”

CAS sided with the AIU’s request, effectively removing Welteji from all stages of the competition.

That means she will not run in the heats, semifinals, or finals unless the case is overturned in time — an unlikely prospect given the tournament schedule.

The Ethiopian Athletics Federation voiced its frustration, standing by its earlier ruling.

“We respect the CAS process, but we stand by our panel’s decision,” the federation said in a statement.

The absence of Welteji eases the pressure in the early rounds but also robs the competition of a much-anticipated rivalry.

Fans had expected another showdown between the Kenyan legend and her young Ethiopian challenger, especially after their close battles in recent global meets.