By Mitch Phillips
LONDON (Reuters) -Kenya’s triple Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon is to attempt the first women’s, unofficial sub-four minute mile in a Nike “Breaking 4” project following the success of Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two hour marathon.
Nike said on Wednesday that Kipyegon, 31, is to attempt the feat on June 26 at Stade Charlety, Paris, where she beat her own 1,500 metres world record last year.
Full details are yet to be revealed but, as with her compatriot’s 1:59:40.2 marathon in Vienna in 2019, she is likely to be aided by “in and out” pacers, new high-tech shoes and kit and other technological, physiological and psychological help that will mean any record would not be officially recognised.
Kipyegon set the current official mile world record of 4:07.64 for the now-rarely run distance in 2023, taking almost five seconds off Sifan Hassan’s 2019 mark, so would need a huge leap forward to achieve the landmark time.
“I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles. I thought, What else, why not dream outside the box?” Kipyegon said. “I want this attempt to say to women, ‘You can dream and make your dreams valid’.”
Kipyegon won the Olympic 1,500m title at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Games and the world title in 2017, 2022 and 2023, when she also took 5,000m gold.
As well as the mile record, she also holds the 1,500m world record of 3:49.04 and barely seemed to take a breath after taking time away from the track to have a baby.
“Becoming a mother has changed my entire mental attitude,” she said. “You have to engage yourself, you have to show your child the way.”
Nike will be applying the lessons learned from Kipchoge’s attempts, where he narrowly failed and then subsequently succeeded in getting under two hours.
Along with carbon-plated “super shoes”, one key aspect was the use of pacers in a v-formation, with a turnover of athletes to ensure fresh legs. Innovative apparel technology and laser pacing lights also played a part, and are likely to do so again for Kipyegon’s attempt.
Nike said full details of the attempt, including information on pacers, supporters in the stadium and kit, will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Kipyegon has known Kipchoge for more than 10 years and they share the same coach in Patrick Sang. “Faith can absorb any goal, she is a big dreamer,” Kipchoge said.
“She is the woman to take on this challenge because she is open to trying.”
‘AUDACIOUS GOAL’
To improve her record mile by at least 7.65 seconds, Kipyegon will need to run each of her four and a bit laps an average of nearly two seconds faster than her previous best.
“Faith is a once-in-a-generation talent, and her audacious goal is exactly what Nike stands for,” said Elliott Hill, Nike President & CEO.
“Breaking4 is the kind of bold dream we will do everything in our power to make real — helping both elite and everyday athletes to believe anything is possible.
“Alongside Faith, our innovators are breaking barriers by combining cutting-edge sport science with revolutionary footwear and apparel innovation to help her achieve a truly historic goal.”
Britain’s Roger Bannister was the first man to go under four minutes in May 1954, with compatriot Diane Leather the first woman to break five minutes later the same month. The current men’s record is the 3:43.13 set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
Hassan’s 4:12.33 run in 2019 just edged the record of Russian Svetlana Masterkova that had lasted 23 years.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
