Kenya’s triple Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon has failed to interrupt the sub-four-minute mile document.
Despite lacking the mark, Kipyegon ran a powerful race of 4:06:42 setting a brand new World Record.
“Chasing historical past, creating legacy. Still the quickest mile run by a girl in historical past. Faith Kipyegon offers the whole lot in her quest to interrupt the 4-minute mile and stops the clock at 4:06.42. Thank you, Faith, for making us dream. Maybe not right this moment, however quickly,” World Athletics celebrated her.
Kipyegon was on Thursday, June 26, 2025, making an attempt to turn out to be the primary girl to run the elusive sub-4-minute mile on the Stade Charléty in Paris, in a bid to redefine the bounds of ladies’s middle-distance working.
Titled Nike ‘Breaking4‘ undertaking, the occasion was backed by Nike and modelled after their 2017 Breaking2 undertaking.
Kipyegon aimed to run under the 4:00 mark, which might have made her the primary girl to finish the brink.
The document has stood as a long-held observe customary since British runner Roger Bannister first ran a sub-four-minute mile in 1954.
Faith Kipyegon units her eyes on the document
In 2023, Kipyegon clocked her private better of 4:07.64 shaving almost 5 seconds off Sifan Hassan’s 2019 mark within the not often run distance.
To break the barrier, she wanted to trim almost eight seconds from that point, averaging nearly two seconds sooner per lap than her earlier finest.
The occasion was livestreamed globally through Nike’s YouTube, Instagram, TikTookay, and Amazon Prime Video.
Her try was additionally a part of a broader initiative underneath the newly launched women-only observe and discipline league, ATHLOS.
Backed by her sponsor, Nike, ATHLOS positioned a $100,000 (Ksh13 million) prize for breaking the sub-four-minute mile—a problem focused immediately on the 31-year-old Kenyan.
Last yr, the Kenyan competed on the inaugural ATHLOS meet in New York, clocking 4:04.79 and incomes Ksh7.8 million.
“World data weren’t sufficient. Faith Kipyegon is chasing the not possible. We are in awe of the pursuit and the power to push the bounds of the game. If Faith Kipyegon makes historical past, ATHLOS can pay the queen her dues,” learn a press release from the league, which was based by tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian.
He later tweeted, “We’ve obtained $100K on @Kipyegon_Faith to interrupt the world document!! And you higher consider we’ll swiftly wire it—identical to we did for all our ATHLOS athletes at our record-breaking meet final yr.”
Expresses optimism
Speaking earlier than the race on June 25, Kipyegon expressed optimism that her previous success on the Stade Charléty would encourage a powerful efficiency.
“I completely assume there’s particular power at this observe. I’ve stunning reminiscences of Paris, breaking the 5,000-world document, breaking the 1,500 world document there. And now we’re going for this particular one, and I feel the observe will deliver good outcomes,” she stated.
Kipyegon received the Olympic 1,500m title on the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Games, and the world title in 2017, 2022, and 2023—when she additionally claimed gold within the 5,000m.
She will hope so as to add to her accolades on the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
In addition to the mile document, she holds the 1,500m world mark of three:49.04. Although her 5,000m world document was lately damaged by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, Kipyegon’s return to the highest stage of competitors after a 21-month break following the beginning of her daughter in 2018 barely affected her stride.
Britain’s Roger Bannister was the primary man to interrupt the four-minute mile in May 1954, whereas compatriot Diane Leather grew to become the primary girl to run underneath 5 minutes later that very same month.
The present males’s mile document of three:43.13 was set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
