Faith Kipyegon falls short in attempt to break four-minute mile

New York Times

26-06-2025

Olympic Champion Faith Kipyegon ran 4:06.92 at Stade Charlety in Paris, France on Thursday to fall short in her bid to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile.
The time was the fastest over the distance recorded by a woman — quicker than her 4:07.64 world record from Monaco two summers ago — but was not the sub-four which Nike had hoped and planned for.
Advertisement
This will not be ratified as a world record, however, under World Athletics conditions — this was known in advance because of the bespoke spikes Kipyegon wore, that were unverified by the governing body, and the fact that the event was not licensed by them.
Kipyegon, 31, was paced by 13 athletes, including USA's Grant Fisher and Cooper Teare, and Great Britain's Jemma Reekie and Georgia Hunter-Bell — the latter two dropped out at 800m. They ran in a specific formation to try and create an air pocket for the Kenyan to sit in and manoeuvre around the bends.
She raced in a bespoke spike and speed suit which was created specifically for this event, with matching arm sleeves, leg sleeves and a headband. Nike had called it a 'moonshot,' naming the project Breaking4.
Conditions were good and Kipyegon stayed on pace for just about the first 800m, opening with a 60.02 first lap and splitting 2:00.75 at halfway. That had her a touch outside four-minute pace, and the Kenyan was visibly struggling by 1,000m, which she went through in 2:30.68.
Kipyegon was not out of it with one lap to go. She hit the bell at 3:01.84, one and a half seconds off the target, but the Olympic and World Champion has a reputation for finishing fast. The pacing strategy switched in the final lap, with a group of five pacers carrying her through — including 6ft 2in Stewart McSweyn of Australia, about a foot taller than Kipyegon, being on her outside right shoulder as a wind shield.
Kipyegon faded to finish in 4:06.92, with a last lap of just over 65 seconds. Her training partner and mentor, Eliud Kipchoge, was holding the tape for her to break.
'Exhausted. I'm tired, I feel good that I've tried,' she said after. 'I've proven that it's possible, it's only a matter of time. If it's not me it will be somebody else — one day a woman will run under four.'