Latest news with #Kipchoge
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Inside Nike's Breaking4 as Faith Kipyegon looks to go where no woman has before
Faith Kipyegon will look to become the first woman to break four minutes for a mile in Paris tonight, helped by her sponsor's full box of science and innovation tricks Faith Kipyegon will look to go where no woman has before by attempting to break four minutes for a mile tonight (June 26). And while the greatest female middle distance athlete of all time admits it is a 'moonshot', the full weight of Nike's innovation machine gives her a chance. Kipyegon's world record, set in July 2023, stands at 4:07.64 – meaning she will need to run two seconds quicker per lap at Paris' Stade Charlety, where she last year obliterated the 1500m record. 'This is the biggest challenge I've ever had in my life,' she says. But with three consecutive Olympic titles and four World Championship golds, plus records across multiple distances, the Kenyan great was left thinking: 'What else? Why not dream outside the box?' If she does achieve what has seemed impossible, World Athletics will not ratify it as an official record. That is because she will be assisted by a suite of tools not eligible for standard races – in a similar mould to Eliud Kipchoge's Breaking 2 project nine years ago. Nike have created unapproved spikes specifically for her feet and a speedsuit with nodes that they say will reduce wind resistance. She will then be supported by a team of interchangeable pacers – including rivals such as Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell – formed in the shape of number 7 to ensure there is no drag. It is all very similar to Kipchoge's initial Nike-backed marathon attempt in 2017 when he fell narrowly short of running sub-two hours but went quicker than the then world record. The smart money is on a similar result here and the 3 per cent improvement required compared to her current best is much higher than Kipchoge's target. Her current record is 4.67secs faster than the second best set by Dutch maverick Sifan Hassan – underlining both how far ahead of every other woman she is and how tomorrow's quest is really a moonshot. Still, Kipyegon is leaning into her mentor and great friend Kipchoge's motto of 'no human is limited.' Seven years ago she became a mother and roared back to win 1500m gold in Tokyo and Paris while lowering the record in that event, the Mile and 5000m (which has since been beaten). Throughout Kipyegon has become adored by her rivals, with those reduced to the minor placings saying that they have been inspired rather than demoralised by her dominance. And that, more than it being a marketing stunt for her biggest sponsor, is the real essence of this challenge. Almost 2,000 men have broken the sub-four barrier since Sir Roger Bannister managed what he was told could never be done 71 years ago. Kipyegon has already blazed the trail for women's sport, forcing her competition to run faster than they ever thought possible. But to smash one of the great remaining barriers, even in this manufactured setting, will again redefine the boundaries of physical limits.
Mint
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Can a woman run a four-minute mile?
More than 70 years ago, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes. And, as runners continued to obsess over the mark, several thousand more followed in his wake. But all of them had one thing in common: They were men. Now, for the first time, a woman is taking aim at a 4-minute mile. Faith Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion from Kenya, will make her attempt at the previously unimaginable target on Thursday in a closed-course event at the Stade Charléty in Paris. 'I think it will cement my legacy and also give hope to other women that everything is possible," Kipyegon said. The question is exactly how possible. Nike, her sponsor and the event's organizer, is calling this a moonshot, and with good reason. To go under 4 minutes, the 31-year-old Kipyegon needs to slash nearly eight seconds off her current world record of 4:07.64. Nike has supplied her with special spikes and a sleek, custom racing suit. But the most crucial element probably won't be anything she's wearing. The biggest difference-maker will likely be the pacesetters running with Kipyegon to help maintain the frenetic rhythm and shield her from wind. A spokesperson said Nike had tested different strategies and that the final formation would be revealed on Thursday. Kipyegon has already written her name into the history books repeatedly by setting world records in the 1,500 and 5,000 meter races. But the mile remains the distance that stays in the minds of even casual weekend runners. World Athletics President Seb Coe, who set the mile world record three times in the 1970s and 1980s, pointed out that more people have reached the summit of Mount Everest (an estimated 7,000) than achieved a 4-minute mile (about 2,100, according to Track & Field News editor Sieg Lindstrom). 'The mile still has a universal cachet," Coe said. Nike has plenty of experience with stunts like this one. Eight years ago, it staged a race in Italy for Kenyan star Eliud Kipchoge to try to run a marathon in under two hours. The company equipped him with state-of-the-art shoes and a phalanx of pace-setting runners tagging in and out to escort him on his way. Kipchoge missed the mark by 25 seconds at the time. But in a subsequent staged attempt two years later, he hit the historic mark on a closed course in Vienna. Due to the highly controlled conditions, Kipchoge's effort wasn't eligible for world-record ratification—no one has run a marathon in under 2 hours in competition. The same will be true of Kipyegon's attempt. Track and field governing body World Athletics requires that world records be set in live competition. Still, Kipyegon is throwing herself into uncharted territory for women. Trimming 7.65 seconds over the course of a mile is a monumental leap that will require every possible efficiency. Aerodynamic drafting with the help of pacesetters could contribute to a saving of 3 to 4 seconds at 4-minute-mile pace, according to a recent academic paper written in part by two Nike-funded researchers. When Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, he drafted closely behind two different pacers for more than 80% of the run. Another study, published in February independently of Nike, said its calculations 'suggest that Kipyegon could run ~3:59.37 with drafting provided by one pacer in front and one in back who change out with two other pacers at 800 [meters]." Wouter Hoogkamer, one of the authors of the February study, said, 'We didn't think they were going to try it this soon. But I guess if anybody's going to do it, it's going to be Faith Kipyegon." Beyond the pacers, Kipyegon—who once won a junior title running barefoot—will also rely on a knee-length bodysuit studded with raindrop-sized nubs that Nike calls 'aeronodes," which are designed to 'split the air in front of Faith and create smaller eddies behind her to reduce drag." The kit includes arm and leg sleeves and a headband. Her custom track shoes, meanwhile, feature six spikes instead of the regular five and more cushion under the forefoot. The general category of super spikes, developed with high-tech foams and carbon-fiber plates, has driven a surge in 4-minute miles among men. Kipyegon's attempt comes as Nike seeks to rejuvenate its brand and capitalize on the rising profile of women's sports. But not everyone necessarily sees the sporting merit. Kara Goucher, a retired U.S. Olympian and former Nike athlete who has been critical of the brand, called Kipyegon a 'true prodigy," but thought that fixating on 4 minutes was misguided. 'We are focused on a woman breaking a men's barrier instead of what she has already done," Goucher wrote in an email. 'She has run 4:07 in the mile. That is wayyy faster than what was ever believed that a woman could run." Write to Rachel Bachman at
NBC Sports
25-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Faith Kipyegon bids to be first woman to run a mile under four minutes: 'I dare to try'
Faith Kipyegon's bid to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes — which she will attempt Thursday in Paris — began in essence about nine months ago while she visited the Nike campus in Beaverton, Oregon. She was feted by her sponsor's employees. She wore her gold (1500m) and silver (5000m) medals from the Paris Games, where she became the first woman to win an individual track race at a third consecutive Olympics. She did testing in a sport research lab, which she described as "👀.' At some point, Kipyegon chose to take on what she called the biggest challenge of her life. NBC NEWS: The sports science behind Kipyegon's attempt 'After everything I have achieved on the track, I decided that one woman can try, and I dare to try,' she said in an Amazon documentary titled 'Breaking4.' Kipyegon, who ran miles barefoot to and from school in Kenya's Rift Valley, grew up to become the woman in history in the mile (1,609 meters). She lowered the world record to 4 minutes, 7.64 seconds in July 2023. To get under four minutes, she will have to run nearly two seconds faster for each of her four laps of the 400-meter track at Stade Sébastien Charléty in the 13th arrondissement. Kipyegon was asked two months ago in a press conference if she believed she would break the barrier. 'That's a very tough question,' she answered. Kipyegon is expected to have benefits on and around her that she did not have when she ran 4:07.64 in race conditions. For Thursday's event, which is not expected to be a traditional race, Nike developed what it called a speed kit: including a shoulder-to-knee, skin-tight suit and new 'featherweight' spikes for her feet. In the documentary, experts determined that a formation of five pacers surrounding Kipyegon would give her the maximum shield from air resistance. In her 2023 world record race, Kipyegon ran behind two pacers for about the first 900 meters, leaving her alone for the last 700. Kipyegon's breaking-four attempt is being compared to fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge's bid to run a marathon in under two hours. In special events (not traditional races) with pacing groups, Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 in 2017 and then 1:59:40 in 2019. In between those two events, Kipchoge lowered the official marathon world record to 2:01:39 in 2018. When he ran 1:59:40 in 2019, he went 1.37% faster than his world record. On Thursday, Kipyegon must go 3.09% faster than her world record to break four minutes. Kipyegon, a 31-year-old mom nicknamed SS — for Superstar — by her coach Patrick Sang, is a few years younger than Kipchoge was in 2019. 'When she told me that she wants to be the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes, I was really excited for her,' said Kipchoge, who is part of Kipyegon's training group in Kenya. 'I told Faith, 'Believe in yourself. You will not be competing with anybody, but you will be competing with the time and the world.'' Nick Zaccardi,
RTÉ News
19-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Science, athletics and marketing collide as Faith Kipyegon seeks historic sub-four-minute mile
Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the first woman in history to run a sub-four-minute mile on Saturday next, 26 June at the Stade Charléty, Paris. Kipyegon set a mile world record of 4:07.64 in 2023 and won her third Olympic title over 1500 metres in Paris last year. She will need to run almost two seconds per lap quicker than her world record pace to break four minutes. The sub-four-mile is considered one of the last great frontiers in women's distance running. Nike, who sponsor Kipyegon, have dubbed the attempt a "moonshot". A near-impossible goal that, if pulled off, will dramatically raise the ceiling that confines human limits. It's the same ceiling that Roger Bannister elevated 71 years ago when he became the first human to break the four-minute mile. Nike have developed a new salvo of cutting-edge technology that aims to close the huge 7.65-second gap that stands between Kipyegon and history. "I've been the best miler on the track, the fastest 1,000 metres, the fastest 1,500… We decided it's high time to think about empowering girls and inspiring the next generation in pushing barriers," Kipyegon said in an interview with training partner Eliud Kipchoge. In 2019, Kipchoge became the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon. It wasn't just an extraordinary athletic performance, but also a multi-million-dollar science exhibition bankrolled by Nike. For his 1:59.40 marathon in Vienna, Kipchoge had a specially engineered aerodynamic kit as well as a pair of ultra-lightweight 'super shoes' that provided unparalleled energy return compared to footwear of the past. Kipchoge ran on a custom-made course, drafting behind a rotating cast of elite athletes, and tracking a moving 'wave light' that was calibrated to the exact pace he required. For Kipyegon, Nike intends to pull out all the stops again. The Kenyan will don the 'Nike Fly Suit', a newly-developed speed suit that's complemented with a matching headband, leg and arm sleeves. The Fly Suit is made of a slick, stretchy material (that's yet to be named) and is dotted with a goosebump-like finish. These goosebumps are 'aeronodes', minuscule half-spheres on the skin of the suit designed to negate wind resistance and create small eddies behind Kipyegon. As she cuts through the air at a speed of 24 kilometres per hour, the aeronodes are made to keep her "slippery" in the wind and minimise drag. "It became clear how much faster Faith could potentially run if the suit had certain physical features beyond the slickness of its material," said Lisa Gibson, Nike's project manager for apparel innovation. There will also be a new 3D-printed sports bra, composed of TPU and designed to be more supportive, lightweight and breathable than market competitors. Kipyegon will wear a reimagined version of the Nike Victory 2, the track spikes she wore breaking the mile world record in Monaco, which are now 25% lighter and tailormade for her diminutive 1.57m, 42kg frame. Nike scientists have signalled they intend to tinker with the spikes' design up to a week before the attempt. World Athletics requires a lengthy window to inspect new prototype shoes to confirm they adhere to existing regulations; hence, Kipyegon's finishing time will not be recorded in official record books. Kipchoge's sub-two-hour marathon is similarly not an official world record due to the rotating ensemble of pacers (World Athletics regulations require pacers to start the race, and don't permit pacers joining during the event). The question of pacing and drafting, possibly the largest area of optimisation for Kipyegon, has yet to be answered by Nike. Kipyegon recorded uneven lap times and failed to draft effectively behind the designated pacers when she ran to the world record in Monaco. She raced the last 700 metres solo. In February, researchers in the Royal Society Open Science Journal posited that Kipyegon could run a 3:59.37 mile with optimal pacing. The researchers proposed sandwiching Kipyegon between a duo of female pacers, who would then swap out with another duo at the halfway mark. Wouter Hoogkamer, a professor of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts, co-authored the paper. He explained the first pacer would take the brunt of the wind, while the second, behind Kipyegon, would help negate low-pressure airfields with a dragging effect. "If you have another runner behind [Kipyegon], then this low-pressure area is going to be behind the second area and not behind the dedicated runner," Hoogkamer said. "A lot of aerodynamic cars and the aerodynamic bike helmets, they have that point towards the end, and that is to reduce the effect of the low-pressure field. It will make the air flow along the point of the helmet, rather than just behind the runner." Kipyegon still faces steep odds in tackling the four-minute mile, regardless of novel pacing arrangements and technical innovation. She has only raced once this year, coming painstakingly close to the 1000m world record with a 2:29.22 time in Xiamen, China. The 31-year-old would need to run at a quicker pace for another 609 metres to dip under four minutes. Kipyegon's glittering career has been built on an extraordinary aerobic engine rather than a scintillating turn of speed. Her 800-metre personal best stands at 1:57.68, while most sub-four male athletes can run an 800m in the 1:52 region. Even if the perfect conditions are created to run sub-four, her limited leg speed may prove debilitating. "We can run the simulations and calculate how much faster she can run, but can her legs actually move that quickly?" said Hoogkamer. "The drafting, the shoes, all of them might make it energetically easier for her to run that fast, but does she have enough fast-twitch muscles to contract at that high rate with those forces that quickly? "That's the cool thing about a science experiment like this…we kind of know what we know from testing things, but she is unique in many aspects."
The South African
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Kenyan marathon GOAT Eliud Kipchoge spotted in Cape Town
Kenyan marathon legend Eluid Kipchoge was photographed at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Monday afternoon. Image: EPA/ARMANDO BABANI Kenyan marathon legend EliUd Kipchoge was photographed in Cape Town on Monday afternoon. Kipchoge, 40, took to his Instagram account to post to his 2.7 million followers: 'Hello, Cape Town! It's wonderful to be here. What must I experience in your beautiful city?' It appears Kipchoge was snapped outside the Nike store at the V&A Waterfront. Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner and widely considered the greatest marathon runner of all time. Born on 5 November 1984, he started his career in track events, winning the 5 000m at the 2003 World Championships. He later transitioned to road racing and marathons, where he achieved legendary status. Here are some of his most notable accomplishments: Olympic champion : He won gold in the marathon at both the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. : He won gold in the marathon at both the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. World record holder : He set the official marathon world record twice, most recently running 2:01:09 at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. : He set the official marathon world record twice, most recently running 2:01:09 at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. First Sub-2-Hour marathon : In 2019, Kipchoge ran a marathon in 1:59:40 under special conditions in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. Though not officially recognized due to pacing and course rules, it was a historic achievement. : In 2019, Kipchoge ran a marathon in 1:59:40 under special conditions in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. Though not officially recognized due to pacing and course rules, it was a historic achievement. Winning streak : From 2014 to 2019, he won 10 consecutive marathons, including multiple London and Berlin Marathons. : From 2014 to 2019, he won 10 consecutive marathons, including multiple London and Berlin Marathons. Philosophy: He is known for the phrase 'No human is limited,' reflecting his belief in human potential and discipline. Eliud Kipchoge is admired not only for his athletic prowess but also for his humility, discipline, and inspiring mindset. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. Follow us on Facebook for the latest breaking news, polls - and more!
