Three-time Olympic middle-distance champion Faith Kipyegon will try to become the first woman to run the mile in under four minutes this summer.
Her sponsor Nike said Wednesday that Kipyegon will attempt the history-making feat on June 26 at the Stade Charléty in Paris.
She won her third straight Olympic 1,500-meter title in Paris last year.
Faith Kipyegon is one of the all-time great distance runners, and after winning three Olympic gold medals and setting numerous world records, the Kenyan track star has her sights set on a historic number.
Kipyegon will look to become the first woman to break the 4-minute mile on June 26 at Stade Charléty in Paris, a track chosen because it’s where Kipyegon has already set two world records in the 5,000 meters and 1,500 meters. She also has the women’s mile world record of 4:07.64, set in 2023 at the Diamond League Monaco race, but now she is working with Nike to try and break the 4-minute milestone for the first time in history by a woman.
Three-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon is to attempt to become the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile.
The 31-year-old Kenyan will make the attempt in Paris on 26 June.
It will not be recognised as an official record because Kipyegon is likely to use a team of rotating pacemakers and technologically advanced trainers and kit from her sponsor Nike.
Kipyegon set the current official women’s mile world record of four minutes 7.64 seconds in 2023 so would need to shave off more than seven seconds to achieve the feat.
“I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles. I thought, ‘what else?’, why not dream outside the box?” Kipyegon said.
“I want this attempt to say to women, ‘you can dream and make your dreams valid’.”
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon, the world-record holder for the women’s mile, announced Wednesday that she will attempt to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile.
“I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved world championship titles. I thought: What else? Why not dream outside the box?” Kipyegon said in a statement.
Kipyegon will try to run a sub-four-minute mile June 26 at Stade Charléty in Paris, the culmination of a yearlong Nike project dubbed “Breaking 4.” Nike believes Stade Charléty is the optimal location for her attempt because of its rubber track and because Kipyegon has run her fastest 1,500- and 5,000-meter times there. The precise time will be based on weather conditions.
Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile on 26 June at Paris’ Stade Charléty, the site of her previous world-record performances. The Kenyan superstar, who holds the current women’s mile record (4:07.64), must shave 7.65 seconds off her time in a meticulously planned Nike-backed effort dubbed “Breaking4,” leveraging pacemakers and optimized conditions.
The historic bid, inspired by Roger Bannister’s 1954 breakthrough, faces skepticism due to the unprecedented speed required. While the attempt may not qualify as an official world record due to pacing rules, Kipyegon remains undeterred: “It’s not if a woman can break 4 minutes—it’s when,” she declared, framing the run as a milestone for women’s athletics.
SOURCE:-
https://www.espn.in/olympics/story/_/id/44734394/kenya-kipyegon-attempt-4-minute-mile-first-women
https://apnews.com/article/kipyegon-womens-mile-record-nike-4cc5efc75befae8ac57f7df86df9550b
https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/three-time-olympic-gold-medalist-faith-kipyegon-will-attempt-the-first-sub-4-minute-mile-by-a-woman/
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