Latest news with #FaithKipyegon
Forbes
an hour ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Faith Kipyegon Sets New World Best In The Mile
Kipyegon of Kenya reacts after the "Breaking4" event, at Stade Charlety, Paris, France, June 26, ... More 2025. Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya fell well short in her bid to become the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile here on Thursday. (Photo by Gao Jing/Xinhua via Getty Images) On June 26th, three-time Olympic champion and three-time world record holder Faith Kipyegon headed to Paris, France, in hopes of achieving the unthinkable. Kipyegon, the current world record holder in the mile at 4:07.64, attempted to break four minutes in the event. Although Kipyegon did not achieve the goal, she did set a new world best of 4:06.42. She also proved that a sub-four-minute time may be even more possible than we think. Here is a guide that details some of the specifics of what will be hailed as one of the greatest days in women's track and field history. What Is Breaking4 And How Did It Come To Be? Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (R) takes part in the "Breaking4" event in an attempt to become the first ... More woman to run a mile in under four minutes at Stade Charlety on June 26, 2025 in Paris. Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya fell well short in her bid to become the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile on June 26. Aided by wavelength technology and 13 pacers, 11 male and two women, Kipyegon clocked 4min 06.42sec over 1.6km in perfect conditions. (Photo by EMMA DA SILVA / AFP) (Photo by EMMA DA SILVA/AFP via Getty Images) In April of this year, Nike announced its new journey, which involved the current women's mile world record holder, Kipyegon, attempting to break the four-minute barrier in the event. Kipyegon's record is 4:07.64, meaning she would have to shave off almost eight seconds to not just rewrite history but to shatter it. Despite this seeming impossible, Nike is known for investing in projects that push the boundaries of physical capabilities and human comprehension. Most notably, they did something similar with marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge's venture was called Breaking2, aimed at breaking the two-hour barrier in the marathon. Nike's hope with Kipyegon was to develop a holistic system that incorporated innovation in every aspect of her race. This included shoes, her racing kit, her training, her pacers, the location of the race, the date of the race, and more. Nike utilized as much research as possible to create the most optimal conditions for Kipyegon to challenge history. The complete Breaking4 journey was heavily documented on Amazon Prime, produced by the company Box to Box, which is the same production company that developed Netflix's SPRINT and Drive to Survive. On June 26th, Kipyegon's race was streamed in several locations, including Nike's YouTube channel, Nike's Twitch stream, and Amazon Prime. The broadcast included commentary from track and field legends, such as nine-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Carl Lewis, as well as two-time Olympic medalist and champion Keely Hodgkinson. With everyone involved putting their best foot forward, Kipyegon embarked on a journey no one had ever dared to try before. The world record holder and Olympic champion came through her first lap at 1:00.02. Her time through 800 meters was 2:00.75. When she completed her third lap, she ran 3:00.22, meaning she was undoubtedly on pace to earn a sub-4-minute time. As Kipyegon moved through her final time around the oval, the pacers, as planned, began to break out of formation and cheer for her as she continued to make her way to the finish line. Despite everything lining up perfectly, June 26th, unfortunately, wasn't the day for sub-4 to manifest itself. Kipyegon and all of her strength came through the line at 4:06.42, just over a full second faster than her world record. Although she did not achieve under four minutes, it is worth noting that even Kipchoge did not break two hours during the Breaking2 project. He did eventually go on to do it later in his career. This means there is hope for Kipyegon to achieve this goal in the future. A New Record Emerged, Here's Why It Won't Count As An Official World Record Kipyegon R of Kenya takes part in the "Breaking4" event, at Stade Charlety, Paris, France, June 26, ... More 2025. Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya fell well short in her bid to become the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile here on Thursday. (Photo by Gao Jing/Xinhua via Getty Images) Kipyegon's new time cannot be considered a world record because several rules were broken to give her attempt the best chance possible of succeeding. For this historic journey, Kipyegon utilized male pacers to help establish the pace of the race. The decision to use male pacers was made for several reasons, but the main one is that Kipyegon is already the fastest woman in history. Dropping more than seven seconds off of her already historical time is a tall ask. Regardless of gender, the necessity of using a pacer was without question. World Athletics allows pacers in races, but they must be the same gender as the competitors in the race. Since there is no other woman faster than Kipyegon, the most reliable and efficient option was to use male pacers. Kipyegon's pacers included some of the world's best athletes, including world record holder and two-time Olympic medalist Grant Fisher. During the broadcast, the commentators noted that, out of all the pacers involved, Kipyegon felt most comfortable running side-by-side with Fisher due to his running style. It is worth noting that not all of the pacers were male. Georgia Hunter Bell and Jemma Reekie also joined the crew, both Olympic athletes for Great Britain. Bell is the Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500 meters from Paris and is the eleventh fastest woman of all time in the event. Reekie is a world indoor silver medalist in the 1500 meters and made the Olympic final in Tokyo. Not only were the pacers there to help set the pace, but they were also there to execute specific running formations around Kipyegon to minimize the amount of wind resistance she'd feel during the race. Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (2dn R) takes part in the "Breaking4" event in an attempt to become the first ... More woman to run a mile in under four minutes at Stade Charlety on June 26, 2025 in Paris. Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya fell well short in her bid to become the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile on June 26. Aided by wavelength technology and 13 pacers, 11 male and two women, Kipyegon clocked 4min 06.42sec over 1.6km in perfect conditions. (Photo by EMMA DA SILVA / AFP) (Photo by EMMA DA SILVA/AFP via Getty Images) Although she did not achieve what most had hoped for, there is light in recognizing that she was on pace to break the record, coming through 1200 meters at 3:00.22. This means the pacers executed their jobs well. Besides using male pacers, Kipyegon was also running in shoes that World Athletics had not yet approved. In a video posted by Citius Mag, a representative at Nike explained the science behind the shoes she wore. "This is what we call the Victory Elite FK," said the representative. 'This is the tallest air unit that has ever been in a spike…' When Kipyegon broke the world record in 2023, she was wearing a version of the Victory Elite spikes. To give her a greater advantage, Nike did everything possible to be as innovative as possible when structuring the shoe she wore on Thursday. According to an article in Believe In The Run, Nike refined every part of the shoe to make it lighter, faster, and specifically made for Kipyegon and her running style. Standard running spikes weigh around 4.8 ounces. Nike confirmed that Kipyegon's new super shoes were somewhere around three. The final reason her time won't be ratified is that her attempt did not occur during an actual race or a World Athletics sanctioned track meet. All of these reasons together are what will make her new 4:06.42 time be considered a world best as opposed to a world record. After her race, Kipyegon expressed nothing but positivity about the entire experience. She stated that she would aim to break the four-minute barrier again. "I've proven that it's possible," said Kipyegon. 'It's only a matter of time. It will come our way. If not me, it'll be someone else.' On Instagram, Kipchoge sang many praises for Kipyegon and her willingness to dream big. Kipyegon has not stated when she plans to try to go under four minutes again and whether it will be a setup similar to the event in Paris. However, she now has track and field fans looking forward to the day she will. Those looking to see Kipyegon run again will have the chance to watch her on July 5th in Eugene, Oregon, at the Prefontaine Classic. The world record holder will contest the 1500-meter alongside her Paris Olympic podium companions, Bell and Jessica Hull. The race will begin at 1:58 p.m. PST and can be found on NBC and Peacock.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Faith Kipyegon certain a woman will break four-minute mile barrier within a decade
Faith Kipyegon remains convinced that a woman will break the four-minute mile barrier within 10 years, despite falling more than six seconds short in her record attempt in Paris. It was a disappointing result for Kipyegon and her sponsor Nike, who had hoped that aerodynamic skinsuits, lighter super spikes and a team of 13 pacers would help the 31-year-old Kenyan get within touching distance of the famous mark. But speaking to the Guardian on the morning after running 4min 06.42sec in Paris, Kipyegon insisted she was still proud to have rolled the dice – and to have run a mile quicker than any woman in history. She also predicted that new technology was coming that would also help Britain's Keely Hodgkinson break the women's 800m world record of 1min 53.28sec, which has stood since 1983. 'Absolutely there will be a woman running a mile in under four minutes,' she said. 'And I think it will take less than 10 years. And if it doesn't come my way, it will be someone else doing it.' Asked why she was so confident, given the gap was still more than six seconds, she replied: 'Going forward, the technology will be even higher than what I was using yesterday. So I think one day, one time, it will happen.' Kipyegon admitted that she had struggled in the final 200m, having heard the bell in 3:01. But she insisted she would not have changed anything about her attempt. 'Birds sometimes fall but they fly again,' she said. 'I believe I will still lower the world record of 4.07. I want to get it very close to the four minutes mark. And I believe I can still run under 4.05 in a race with female pacemakers.' Kipyegon's next race will be over 1500m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, next week, and she insists she is in shape to challenge her world record of 3:49.04. However she said there are no plans yet to have another crack at the four-minute mile barrier. In Paris she spoke to Hodgkinson, who told her she is hungry to go faster once she has recovered from a hamstring injury. 'I talked with Keely yesterday about everything,' said Kipyegon. 'And my run was a huge inspiration for her. She's hungry to go under 1.54 in the 800m. And I think Keely Hodgkinson one day, one time, will run under 1.53. She is so fast.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Nike's chief innovation officer, Tony Bignell, who has worked with the company since helping design spikes for Michael Johnson at the Atlanta and Sydney Games, promised that there would be more innovation and attempts at breaking records. 'Yes, I've seen things in the lab, and I've put things on my foot where I've thought: 'I've never felt that before,'' said Bignell. 'And that's coming. 'Last night could have been anywhere on a scale of zero to 10, but we took the risk. And taking risks is a good thing.'
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Kenya's Kipyegon falls well short in bid for first sub-four-minute mile
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes on Thursday when she clocked 4:06.42 in a Nike "Breaking4" project that, though faster than her own world record, will not be ratified. The 31-year-old triple world and Olympic 1,500 metres champion had needed to take more than seven seconds off her own 2023 world record of 4:07.64 but, despite a series of aids, managed just over one second. She was helped by innovative new kit, super-spikes and, crucially, a phalanx of mostly male pacers who blocked the wind on the four and a bit laps of the Stade Charlety track where she set her 1,500m world record last year. Dressed in a black one-pieced suit with black arm warmers, the diminutive Kenyan was swamped by her group of pacers, mostly men and all world class athletes themselves. In a pre-designed plan, a group of five men ran in a line in front of her as "the shield" with American double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher on her shoulder. Live Events She was about on course at halfway but began to slip behind the coloured pacing lights inside the track and drifted on the final lap as she tied up over the last 200 metres. Those male pacers meant, just as with compatriot Eliud Kipchoge's sub-two-hour marathon run with "in and out" pacers in 2019, that the new mark will not be recognised as a world record. Kipyegon, however, was her usual upbeat self at the finish. "I'm tired but I feel good and I tried," she said, thanking the crowd of around a thousand people who had given her enthusiastic support. "That is why I was coming here - to try to be the first woman to run under four minutes. It's only a matter of time but I think it will come our way. If it's not me, it will be someone else. "So, yeah, I know one day, one time, a woman will run under four. I will not lose hope. I will still go for it and if there's not something like this, a special one, I think in a normal Diamond League, or anything, I will still go for it and I hope I will get it one day." Britain's 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 3:43.13 set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon falls short in her attempt to break 4-minute mile
Published Jun 27, 2025 • 2 minute read Kenya's Faith Kipyegon (R) takes part in the "Breaking4" event in an attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes at Stade Charlety in Paris. Getty Images Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon failed in her bid Thursday to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Kipyegon, the Olympic 1,500-meter gold medalist from Kenya, ran in 4 minutes, 06.42 seconds — the fastest mile in history by a woman — at Stade Charlety in Paris. Her time was better than her world record of 4:07.64 but won't be recognized by the international federation because the Nike-sponsored event dubbed ' Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile ' was unofficial. She was supported by pacemakers and equipped with Nike's latest innovations, from her aerodynamic track suit to her spikes. 'I gave everything today to try, it was not about running a tactical race' Kipyegon said. 'It was the first trial. I have proven that it's possible and it's only a matter of time. I think it will come to our way. If it's not me, it will be somebody else. I know one day, one time a woman will run under 4:00. I will not lose hope. I will still go for it.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 31-year-old Kipyegon looked exhausted as she reached the finish and fell on her back as she was surrounded by photographers. Her attempt took place on a balmy summer's evening with a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) and limited wind, in front of an audience of a few thousand people. She used a team of 13 elite pace setters made of 11 men and two women who were positioned in front and behind her to reduce drag. She stayed on the inside of the track throughout her punishing effort. She appeared to struggle midway through the race and failed in her attempt to shave at least 7.65 seconds off her world record. To achieve the feat, Kipyegon would have needed to run each of her four laps an average of about two seconds faster. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I think next time we will catch up with the light,' Kipyegon added, joking about the Wavelight, a pace-setting system using a series of LED lights on the inside of the track making it easier to follow whether an athlete is ahead, or falling behind. Kipyegon also had a message for her daughter and young girls watching. 'I will tell them we are not limited,' she said. 'We can limit ourselves with thoughts, but it is possible to try everything and prove to the world that we are strong. Keep pushing.' Among the guests in Paris were Carl Lewis and Kipyegon's fellow Kenyan runner, longtime friend and training partner Eliud Kipchoge. It was more than 71 years ago when British runner Roger Bannister became the first man to eclipse four minutes in 3:59.4. Kipyegon set the women's mile world record nearly two years ago during a Diamond League meet in Monaco. She won her third straight 1,500 Olympic title in Paris last August. A month before that, she broke her own 1,500 record on the same track where she ran on Thursday. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Toronto Raptors Music Toronto Raptors Sunshine Girls Canada
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Triple Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon says ‘it's possible' after failing in run at four-minute mile
'I gave everything today to try, it was not about running a tactical race,' Kipyegon said. 'It was the first trial. I have proven that it's possible and it's only a matter of time. I think it will come to our way. If it's not me, it will be somebody else. I know one day, one time a woman will run under 4:00. I will not lose hope. I will still go for it.' The 31-year-old Kipyegon looked exhausted as she reached the finish and fell on her back as she was surrounded by photographers. Advertisement Her attempt took place on a 77-degree summer evening and limited wind, in front of an audience of a few thousand people. She used a team of 13 elite pace setters made of 11 men and two women who were positioned in front and behind her to reduce drag. She stayed on the inside of the track throughout her punishing effort. She appeared to struggle midway through the race and would have needed to run each of her four laps an average of about two seconds faster. Advertisement 'I think next time we will catch up with the light,' Kipyegon added, joking about the Wavelight, a pace-setting system using a series of LED lights on the inside of the track, making it easier to follow whether an athlete is ahead or falling behind. Faith Kipyegon holds the world record for the mile by a woman, a 4:07.64. EMMA DA SILVA/AFP via Getty Images Kipyegon also had a message for her daughter and young girls watching. 'I will tell them we are not limited,' she said. 'We can limit ourselves with thoughts, but it is possible to try everything and prove to the world that we are strong. Keep pushing.' Among the guests in Paris were Carl Lewis and It was more than 71 years ago when British runner Kipyegon set the women's mile world record nearly two years ago during a Diamond League meet in Monaco. She won her third straight 1,500 Olympic title in Paris last August. A month before that, she
