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≡ KIPYEGON “BREAKING4″ ≡
The “moonshot” try for a women’s sub-4:00 mile, starring triple Olympic 1,500 m champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, had plenty of planning, plenty of technical and promotional support from Nike, and plenty of hope, and ultimately ended with the fastest mile ever run by a woman: 4:06.42.
The run was preceded by a 50-minute warm-up show, hosted by U.S. anchor MJ Acosta-Ruiz, with expert commentators Carl Lewis of the U.S., Olympic women’s 800 m champion Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) and BYU distance coach Diljeet Taylor.
Video segments talked through the setting, with the Stade Charlety chosen thanks to the shielding of the track from the wind, the special suit designed by Nike for better airflow, the pacing lights and the 13-person pacing team. Conditions were good at about 77 F at race time, and perhaps 3,000 people in the stands, spread out into cheering sections.
Kipyegon started off strongly, with five men in front of her, U.S. distance star Grant Fisher just ahead of her on her right and seven behind her, and stormed through three laps in good position:
● 400 m: 60.20
● 800 m: 2:00.75
● 1,200 m: 3:01.84
For comparison, her mile world record of 4:07.64 from Monaco in July 2023 began with:
● 400 m: 62.6
● 800 m: 2:04.6
● 1,200 m: 3:06.7
Her world 1,500 m record of 3:49.04 in Paris on 7 July 2024 started:
● 400 m: 62.4
● 800 m: 2:04.0
● 1,200 m: 3:04.8
So she was much faster by 1,200, but tired a bit in the final half-lap and crossed in 4:06.42, the fastest mile ever run by a woman.
This was not an official world-record attempt, with the pacers and with Kipyegon doing a time trial. But it’s still the fastest mile ever run by a woman by far and only Kipyegon is this good.
Next on the all-time list is Dutch star Sifan Hassan, at 4:12.33 from 2019!
Asked afterwards about the attempt, her first words were:
“Exhausted. I’m tired. I feel good, I tried.”
And as for a women under four minutes? “It’s only a matter of time. … if it’s not me, it will be somebody else.”
All too true.
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