El Keniano, El G actually has two Olympic golds (2004 1500m/5000m double), plus silver from Sydney. He beat a 3:26.34 guy and a 12:37.35 guy to win those golds. He lost to a 2:11.96/3:43 guy in Sydney, but beat the 3:26.34 guy.
But Kiprop will not need to apologize for his career in championship races. He was 4th in World's in 2007 and 2009, but won gold after the cheater Ramzi was disqualified in 2008, and while he was an also ran in 2012 at the Olympics and again today, he was World Champ in 2011, 2013, 2015. And of course he's run 3:26.69. Kiprop's confidence in his ability, however, sometimes costs him. Why not go to the lead himself at 800m? Or 1200m and stay there?
Congrats to Centro! It was over 100 years since the U.S. won the 1500m men's gold. He played that exactly right. I was surprised no one went by him earlier when the pace was so pedestrian, but this was the kind of race he had the best chance in. He had already medaled twice in World's outdoor in 3:35ish races, plus 4th in 2012 in a similar race. He has had last laps of 51.xx in 3:35 races. Now he was able to jog a 2:17, run 55, not out of control at all, and then 38 to close (of course, Jim Ryun closed a 3:38 on a dug up dirt track in 1967 in 36.xx with no one near him most of it, but he hadn't just run a 55 lap). Centro trained to run fast 800s when tired with the 3x800m race/workout and the 1k, so he was ready. In a 3:31 race, he would likely have been out of the medals. Makhloufi probably used unnecessary energy in moving through the pack and up and back prior to the last lap and so he didn't have that ultimate explosiveness that would have caught Centro at the end. Great race and he goes down as one of the great tacticians in the sport.