Kenya's Faith Kipyegon celebrates after competing in the women's 1,500 meters final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. (AP)

TOKYO, Sept 16 (AP): Faith Kipyegon took a tiny glance at the clock after rounding the final curve of the final lap of the 1,500 meters at the world track championships Tuesday night.

It's her only real competition these days.

The Kenyan star, whose inspiring quest for the four-minute mile was the talk of track earlier this year, was widening her lead over the rest of the runners as she rounded the bend. Seconds later, she was flashing four fingers - one for every world title she's won in a race she has dominated for the better part of a decade.

Kipyegon finished in 3 minutes, 52.15 seconds for a nearly three-second win over another Kenyan, Dorcus Ewoi. Kipyegon joins the great Moroccan, Hicham El Guerrouj, as only the second runner to win four world titles at 1,500 meters.

"This was my dream, just to defend my title in the 1,500 for the fourth time," Kipyegon said. "And keep making history.”

In June, the 31-year-old mother of 7-year-old Alyn fell six seconds and change short of a dream.

She was trying to become the first woman to break the hallowed four-minute mark in the mile. If that bothered her - or took anything out of her - she sure did hide it well. Three months after that disappointment, she lowered her own world record in the 1,500 - the metric mile - to 3:48.68.

Her glance at the clock in this return to the stadium in Tokyo, which was empty four years ago when she captured the second of her three Olympic titles, made it clear the world record was off the table. Even so, she expanded a 1.31-second lead over Jessica Hull, the eventual third-place finisher, to almost triple that.

The margin over Ewoi was 2.77.

But perhaps the most telling sign of how Kipyegon dominated came after the race, as Ewoi and Hull were writhing on the ground. Kipyegon jogged over, bent down, and patted Ewoi on the chest, then reached to grab Hull by the arm and pull her up.