Kenya’s triple Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon has failed to break the sub-four-minute mile record.
Despite missing the mark, Kipyegon ran an impressive race of 4:06:42 setting a new World Record.
“Chasing history, creating legacy. Still the fastest mile run by a woman in history. Faith Kipyegon gives everything in her quest to break the 4-minute mile and stops the clock at 4:06.42. Thank you, Faith, for making us dream. Maybe not today, but soon,” World Athletics celebrated her.
Kipyegon was on Thursday, June 26, 2025, attempting to become the first woman to run the elusive sub-4-minute mile at the Stade Charléty in Paris, in a bid to redefine the limits of women’s middle-distance running.
Titled Nike ‘Breaking4‘ project, the event was backed by Nike and modelled after their 2017 Breaking2 project.
Kipyegon aimed to run below the 4:00 mark, which would have made her the first woman to complete the threshold.
The record has stood as a long-held track standard since British runner Roger Bannister first ran a sub-four-minute mile in 1954.
Faith Kipyegon sets her eyes on the record
In 2023, Kipyegon clocked her personal best of 4:07.64 shaving nearly five seconds off Sifan Hassan’s 2019 mark in the rarely run distance.
To break the barrier, she needed to trim nearly eight seconds from that time, averaging almost two seconds faster per lap than her previous best.
The event was livestreamed globally via Nike’s YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Amazon Prime Video.
Her attempt was also part of a broader initiative under the newly launched women-only track and field league, ATHLOS.
Backed by her sponsor, Nike, ATHLOS placed a $100,000 (Ksh13 million) prize for breaking the sub-four-minute mile—a challenge targeted directly at the 31-year-old Kenyan.
Also Read: Kenyan University Honors Faith Kipyegon in a Special Way
Last year, the Kenyan competed at the inaugural ATHLOS meet in New York, clocking 4:04.79 and earning Ksh7.8 million.
“World records weren’t enough. Faith Kipyegon is chasing the impossible. We are in awe of the pursuit and the strength to push the limits of the sport. If Faith Kipyegon makes history, ATHLOS will pay the queen her dues,” read a statement from the league, which was founded by tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian.
He later tweeted, “We’ve got $100K on @Kipyegon_Faith to break the world record!! And you better believe we’ll swiftly wire it—just like we did for all our ATHLOS athletes at our record-breaking meet last year.”
Expresses optimism
Speaking before the race on June 25, Kipyegon expressed optimism that her past success at the Stade Charléty would inspire a strong performance.
“I absolutely think there’s special energy at this track. I have beautiful memories of Paris, breaking the 5,000-world record, breaking the 1,500 world record there. And now we are going for this special one, and I think the track will bring good results,” she said.
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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 claimed gold in the 5,000m.
She will hope to add to her accolades at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
In addition to the mile record, she holds the 1,500m world mark of 3:49.04. Although her 5,000m world record was recently broken by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, Kipyegon’s return to the top level of competition after a 21-month break following the birth of her daughter in 2018 barely affected her stride.
Britain’s Roger Bannister was the first man to break the four-minute mile in May 1954, while compatriot Diane Leather became the first woman to run under five minutes later that same month.
The current men’s mile record of 3:43.13 was set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
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