Faith Kipyegon is already a legend in the making, boasting three Olympic 1,500-meter titles and holding world records in both the mile and 1,500m. Now, the 31-year-old Kenyan superstar has her sights set on an unprecedented achievement: becoming the first woman to break the four-minute mile barrier.
Kipyegon will attempt this historic feat at a special Nike-sponsored event, aptly named ‘Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile’, on June 26 at the Stade Charlety in Paris. She set her current world record in the mile, 4:07.64, almost two years ago during a Diamond League meet in Monaco.
“I think breaking four will really cement my legacy,” Kipyegon shared on a Zoom call Wednesday. “The next generation is looking up to us to show them the way, and this is what I’m doing now. … Everything we do, we have to dream big and just believe in ourselves that we could do it.”
The Challenge and the Preparation
It’s been over 71 years since British runner Roger Bannister famously became the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile, clocking 3:59.4. For Kipyegon, finding that extra burst of speed to shave a little more than 7.64 seconds off her personal best is a constant focus in her training. Yet, surprisingly, she and her coach, Patrick Sang, aren’t drastically altering their routine for this specific chase.
Their current training methods have already proven incredibly successful. Kipyegon won her third consecutive 1,500m Olympic title in Paris last August, and just a month before that, she broke her own 1,500m world record on the very same track where she’ll attempt the mile record next Thursday.
She’ll also be wearing Nike’s latest innovations, from an aerodynamic track suit to advanced spikes, to give her every possible advantage. Should she achieve the milestone, the mark would need to be ratified by World Athletics.
Kipyegon is also drawing emotional support from her longtime friend and training partner, fellow Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge himself had a specially organized event in 2019, where he ran a marathon in 1:59:40, breaking the two-hour marathon barrier at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Austria (though that mark wasn’t officially ratified by the sport’s governing body).
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