Cover Faith Kipyegon of Kenya will make an attempt at the sub-4 minute mile on June 26 (Photo: Patrick Smith/Athlos/Getty Images for Athlos)
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya will make an attempt at the sub-4 minute mile on June 26 (Photo: Patrick Smith/Athlos/Getty Images for Athlos)
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Faith Kipyegon’s attempt to break the record would shift the landscape of athletics, recalibrating what’s considered possible and inspiring a generation to chase the next frontier. Plus: Other boundary-pushing female athletes to know
Kenya’s middle-distance queen, Faith Kipyegon, is set to challenge one of athletics’ most enduring barriers: becoming the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. Scheduled for June 26 at Paris’s Stade Charléty, this attempt—under Nike’s “Breaking4” project—is a high-tech spectacle as much as it is a race.
Male pacers, laser lights on the track, aerodynamic skinsuits and carbon-plated spikes will support Kipyegon during her attempt. No detail has been left to chance, and the entire run has been designed to shave about seven to eight seconds from her current world best of 4:07.64, which she set in Monaco in 2023. If successful, she would shatter a ceiling that has stood since Roger Bannister’s historic four-minute mile in 1954.
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While unsanctioned by World Athletics and dominated by supportive tech and pacing, this event mirrors Eliud Kipchoge’s sub‑2 marathon in Vienna in 2019. Kipchoge’s 1:59:40:2 42-kilometre run, though unofficial, was a landmaerk achievement.
Like Kipchoge before her, Faith Kipyegon is leaning into a nexus of science, strategy and storytelling. For Kipyegon, who is already a triple Olympic champion at the 1,500 metres and a silver medalist at 5000 metres, this is not just about speed; it’s a statement about women’s potential in a sport still governed by outdated performance expectations.
Beyond the mile: other barrier-beaking records by female runners
Sifan Hassan: mile and 5,000-metre Double Dynamo
Dutch middle-distance legend Sifan Hassan stunned the athletics world in 2019 by running a mile in 4:12.33, which was a world record at the time. She later showcased her remarkable versatility across distances, achieving her personal best in the 5,000 metres with 14:13.42 in 2023. While she has not held the 5,000-metre world record (which is currently held by Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia at 14:00.21), her Olympic gold medals in the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre, along with her 1,500-metre bronze, powerfully challenge the traditional separation between middle and long distances.
Beatrice Chebet: 5,000-metre sub‑14-minute attempt (2024)
Kenyan track star Hash Chebet edged toward the sub-14 barrier with a personal best of 14:09.52 in Zürich. While yet to crack the threshold, she and Faith Kipyegon are clear signals that women’s distance running is entering a new high-performance era.
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Gudaf Tsegay: distance record holder
Ethiopian powerhouse Tsegay boasts the 5,000-metre world record (14:00.21). Though she hasn’t publicly chased the mile barrier, her range positions her as an heir to these boundary-pushing elite athletes.
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