Faith Kipyegon fell short in her attempt to become the first woman to run the mile in under four minutes, but still made history.
Kipyegon ran 4:06.42 in Thursday’s attempt at Paris’ Stade Sébastien Charléty.
While it wasn’t enough for her goal, Kipyegon still bested her previous world record time of 4:07.64, which she set in 2023 in Monaco, according to World Athletics.
Her time will not count as an official world record because of “the rotating cast of pacers and the footwear not being approved by World Athletics,” per Citius Magazine.
Kipyegon had a team of over 10 pacers. One of those pacers was Olympian Grant Fisher, who trains in Utah. Kipyegon spent most of the race running alongside Fisher.
According to FloTrack, the other pacers were:
- Craig Engels, U.S.
- Niels Laros, Netherlands
- Stewart McSweyn, Australia
- Jemma Reekie, Great Britain
- Georgia Hunter Bell, Great Britain
- Halima Nakaayi, Uganda
- Cooper Teare, U.S.
- Elliot Giles, Great Britain
- Wyclife Kinyamal, Kenya
- Stefan Nillessen, Netherlands
- Cathal Doyle, Ireland
What Faith Kipyegon said
Following her sub-four attempt, Kipyegon was optimistic, saying it is only a matter of time until the feat is accomplished.
“But I think it will come to our way. If it is not me, it’ll be someone else,” she said, per the broadcast. “We are not limited. We can limit ourselves through our thoughts, but I think we are supposed to try everything in our lives and prove to the world that we are strong and that we can push it.”
BYU coach Diljeet Taylor, who is also a Nike coach, was part of the broadcast team for the event.
“We are all inspired. We are all inspired,” Taylor said afterward. “You can see all these fans that were excited to witness her being the fastest woman to run the mile.”
What is Breaking4?
Kipyegon‘s attempt was a partnership with Nike, which the company marketed as Breaking4.
Nike livestreamed the event on its YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts. It was also available on Prime Video.
Nike and Box To Box Films partnered to produce a documentary on Kipyegon, titled “Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile.” The first episode was released Friday on Prime Video, with the second episode expected to drop next month.
Social media’s reaction to Faith Kipyegon’s Breaking4
The world tuned in to watch and cheer on Kipyegon.
Here’s how social media reacted:
While the majority of posts were positive and hopeful the feat will be accomplished some day, a few users expressed their doubts that a woman will ever run a sub-four mile.
