Kenyan Faith Kipyegon eyes women's mile history in 'Breaking4' project

RNZ News

23-04-2025

Faith Kipyegon will follow the footsteps of countryman Eliud Kipchoge in the marathon.
Photo:
photosport
Kenyan triple Olympic and world 1500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon will attempt the first women's, unofficial sub-four minute mile in a Nike 'Breaking4' project, after the success of Eliud Kipchoge's sub-two hour marathon.
Nike said Kipyegon, 31, would attempt the feat on 26 June at Stade Charlety, Paris, where she beat her own 1500 metres world record last year.
Full details were yet to be revealed, but like her compatriot's 1h 59m 40.2s marathon at Vienna in 2019, she would likely to be aided by 'in-and-out' pacers, new high-tech shoes and kit, and other technological, physiological and psychological help that would mean any record would not be officially recognised.
Kipyegon set the current official mile world record of 4m 07.64s for the now-rarely run distance in 2023, taking almost five seconds off Sifan Hassan's 2019 mark, so would need a huge leap forward to achieve the landmark time.
"I'm a three-time Olympic champion, I've achieved world championship titles," she said. "I thought, 'What else, why not dream outside the box?'
"I want this attempt to say to women, 'You can dream and make your dreams valid'."
Kipyegon won the Olympic 1500m title at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and world titles in 2017, 2022 and 2023, when she also took 5000m gold.
Faith Kipyegon broke the world 1500m record in Paris last year.
Photo:
reuters
As well as the mile record, she also holds the 1500m world record of 3m 49.04s and barely seemed to take a breath, after taking time away from the track to have a baby.
"Becoming a mother has changed my entire mental attitude," she said. "You have to engage yourself, you have to show your child the way."
Nike would apply the lessons learned from Kipchoge's attempts, where he narrowly failed and then subsequently succeeded in getting under two hours.
Along with carbon-plated 'super shoes', one key aspect was the use of pacers in a v-formation, with a turnover of athletes to ensure fresh legs. Innovative apparel technology and laser pacing lights also played a part, and would likely to do so again for Kipyegon's attempt.
Nike said full details of the attempt - including information on pacers, supporters in the stadium and kit - would be revealed in the coming weeks.
Eliud Kipchoge was able to break two hours for a marathon with the use of pacers and running technology.
Photo:
photosport
Kipyegon has known Kipchoge for more than 10 years and they share the same coach, Patrick Sang.
"Faith can absorb any goal, she is a big dreamer," Kipchoge said. "She is the woman to take on this challenge, because she is open to trying."
To improve her record mile by at least 7.65 seconds, Kipyegon would need to run each of her four and a bit laps an average of nearly two seconds faster than her previous best.
Faith Kipyegon was won three Olympic titles, including Tokyo 2020.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
"Faith is a once-in-a-generation talent and her audacious goal is exactly what Nike stands for," Nike president & chief executive Elliott Hill said. "Breaking4 is the kind of bold dream we will do everything in our power to make real, helping both elite and everyday athletes to believe anything is possible.
"Alongside Faith, our innovators are breaking barriers by combining cutting-edge sport science with revolutionary footwear and apparel innovation to help her achieve a truly historic goal."
Briton Roger Bannister was the first man to go under four minutes in May 1954, with compatriot Diane Leather the first woman to break five minutes later the same month. The current men's record is the 3m 43.13s, set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
Hassan's 4m 12.33s, run in 2019, just edged the record of Russian Svetlana Masterkova that had lasted 23 years.
- Reuters