Latest news with #TrackAndField
Forbes
14 hours 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.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
London to host 2027 & 2028 Olympic/World trials
Damian Warner, of Canada, celebrates after winning the Men's heptathlon at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) The road to Beijing and Los Angeles will run through London. Athletics Canada has announced that the Forest City will host the 2027 Canadian Track & Field Trials and the 2028 Bell Track & Field Trials. 'Anytime you can bring the best athletes in the country to your backyard, it's exciting, and the Olympic Trials always offers that little extra something because athletes' dreams are on the line,' said London Western TFC Club Manager Scott MacDonald. The event will run Aug. 9-15 and will serve as the Canadian team selection trials for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing that September. In 2028, the Bell Track & Field Trials will run from June 14 to 18 and will help determine the athletes competing for Canada in Track & Field at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'It's an incredible honour,' said Western University Sports & Recreation Director Christine Stapleton." From Olympic champion Damian Warner's training grounds to our U SPORTS national title-winning teams, our legacy in athletics runs deep, and we're proud to host Canada's finest as they chase Olympic and Paralympic dreams.' Among the long list of elite athletes from London who have represented Canada on the world stage are Olympic champion Damian Warner, Olympic bronze medallist Alysha Newman, Pan American Games champion Jessica Zelinka, and Parapan American Games champion Kevin Strybosch.
CBC
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
World Athletics Continental Tour Ostrava
Watch the Ostrava Golden Spike, from the Czech Republic, part of the 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meetings.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Edmonton students run, jump and throw for gold at track and field championship
Students prepare for a race at the Edmonton Public School Board Junior High Track & Field City Championships on Monday, June 16, 2025. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV Edmonton.) Hundreds of student athletes put their best foot forward at the Edmonton Public School Board Junior High Track & Field City Championships on Monday. The event was originally set for last Tuesday but had to be rescheduled due to bad air quality in the city, a coordinator for the championship said. 'It's nerve wracking but it's also a great feeling to be able to have this opportunity to push yourself and see how far you can go,' said Grade 9 relay race student athlete Sydney Salisbury at the meet. 'It's a great bonding experience for us because we're all super close friends.' There were more than 100 faces on the track at Rollie Miles Athletic Grounds and more than 65 schools took part in track and field events including: long jump, triple jump, shot put and turbo javelin.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Morehouse College mourns passing of longtime coach
The Morehouse College community is mourning the death of a dedicated alumnus and longtime supporter of the Maroon Tiger athletic program. Thomas J. Wells, from the class of 1974, served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Morehouse Track & Field team for over three decades. Advertisement When he was a student, he competed in football, discus, and javelin at the college. He served as a Center Director for the City of Atlanta's Department of Parks and Recreation from 1973 to 1998. 'I personally thank him for the guidance and encouragement he gave me over the years. His friendship was a gift, and his counsel was always rooted in wisdom and integrity. Thomas J. Wells was the kind of man who made Atlanta better simply by being in it,' Atlanta City Council member Julian Bond said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
