Faith Kipyegon ran the fastest mile in history by a woman on Thursday night – but fell well short of her “moonshot” bid to dip under the iconic four-minute mark.
The 31-year-old Kenyan, the three-time Olympic champion over 1500 metres, was already the world record holder for the mile, courtesy of her astonishing 4:07.64 which was set in Monaco in July 2023 and was nearly five seconds quicker than the previous best.
That raised the prospect of going under four minutes, especially as part of a Nike-backed ‘Breaking4’ attempt where every detail – including a huge team of male and female pacemakers – would try to tilt the advantage Kipyegon’s way.
The tech and innovations
The choice of venue – the Stade Charlety in Paris, where records tumbled the week before in the Diamond League – and the time of day and year were all selected to maximise potential gains and minimise jetlag after the flight from Kenya.
Kipyegon has been a Nike athlete for 16 years and months of preparation went into the attempt, with Nike aiming to optimize every aspect.
As well as the ideal conditions there were also many innovations in apparel and footwear, aerodynamics and efficiency.
She wore a first-of-its-kind Nike Fly Suit with futuristic aerodynamic properties, a Nike FlyWeb Bra made of a revolutionary 3D-printed performance material, and featherweight Nike Victory Elite FK spikes built to her exact specifications.
They were based on the Nike Victory 2 spikes in which she won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, weighing just 85 grams, with a carbon fibre plate on the sole and air pockets to aid propulsion.
How it all played out
You can watch how it all unfolded via the video embedded below but Kipyegon started in the inside lane just behind around half of her pacemakers – which included two women in Britain’s Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell and Jemma Reekie – with lights on the inside of the track showing her progress.
The target of sub-four minutes for the mile (which is 1609 metres) meant she had to go a fraction quicker than 15 miles-per-hour – or 24km/h.
Effectively sub 60 seconds was the target for each of the four laps of the track and it looked like being incredibly close early on.
The clock showed 1:00.20 at the end of lap one, 2:00.75 on lap two but the strain was starting to show on lap three as the time went out to 3:01.84.
And even with Kipyegon’s fabled finishing power it was too big an ask and she crossed the line in 4:06:42, which was still 1.22 seconds faster than her world record, not that it will count as an official one given the nature of the event.
Holding the tape on the line was Kipyegon’s friend and training partner Eliud Kipchoge, who in 2019 made global headlines when he became the first person to go under two hours for the marathon in a similar style event organised by INEOS.
Inspiration for the future
And while Kipyegon wasn’t able to achieve her dream on this occasion, she hopes it will prove to be a significant stepping stone for her or someone else.
‘Not if. When’ was the Nike slogan afterwards and Kipyegon herself said: “It was tough, but I am so proud of what I’ve done, and I’m going to keep on trying, dreaming and pursuing big goals.
“I have proven that it is possible, it is only a matter of time. If it is not me, it will be somebody else.
“I will not lose hope, I will still go for it. I hope I will get it one day.
“I want to show the world, and especially women, that you have to dare to try.”
Nike President Amy Montagne said afterwards:“At Nike, we believe that athletes can accomplish the extraordinary, and Faith proved it today. Our partnership with Faith for this moonshot reflects the power of teamwork, bringing together experts across sport science, innovation and design to push the boundaries of what is possible.
“Faith didn’t just make history, she proved the future of sport is faster, stronger and more inclusive than ever.”
It’s now just over 70 years since Britain’s Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to beat the four-minute barrier for the mile in May 1954, the same month that compatriot Diane Leather became the first woman to run a sub-five minute mile.
