31-year-old Kenyan Faith Kipyegon set to make record as first woman to run under four minutes. Photo: Mozzart.
Faith Kipyegon, 31-year-old Kenyan and three times Olympic champion, will be on a special mission at Paris’s Stade Charlety tomorrow Thursday as she attempts to be the first woman to run one mile’s race under four minutes.
This is a special yet a unique race where Faith is aiming at breaking a world record, as scientific instinct suggests it won’t happen. Kipyegon’s world record for the mile is 4min 7.64sec, which means she will have to find nearly eight seconds. In a sport decided by fractions, that is a chasm.
Faith certainly has faith that she can emulate Sir Roger Bannister, who was the first man to achieve the feat in 1954. “You can’t limit yourself,” she says. “You have to dream, to go for that risk and just believe in yourself in everything you do. We all have the same dreams. And what a man can do, a woman can do.”
Kipyegon, who previously lowered the world record in the mile to 4:07.64 in July 2023, will make her attempt this night in the anticipated race. Kipyegon will be wearing a specially customized pair of spikes called the Nike Victory Elite FK.
“Faith’s spike features completely new components designed to increase her energy return and improve her running efficiency. The spike is also significantly lighter than anything she’s worn before,” said Carrie Dimoff, Footwear Product Director at Nike Innovation.
She is company of the World first man to run the Ineos 1:59 Challenge Eliud Kipchoge, in October 2019 at Reichsbrucke Bridge in Vienna in perfect weather conditions of around 9 degrees Celsius and wind speeds between 0.5 – 1.5 m/s. It almost sounded impossible, but he made it.
Tonight, all eyes will be on the Kenyan girl Faith Kipyegon, where all the cameras will be pointing at her in Paris, France. This time not competing with anyone, just running against time while being helped by male pacers on the side.
Many athletes across the world have expressed support and wishes Kipyegon the best of luck as she attempts one of the most difficult race.
