Faith Kipyegon’s attempt to become the first woman in history to run a sub-4-minute mile came up just short.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist ran a personal-best time of 4:06.42 in a special event dubbed “Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile” on Thursday at Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris. The event was a partnership between Nike and Kipyegon, as she aimed to become the first woman in history to run a mile in under 4 minutes.
“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 in a Nike press release prior to the race. “And I told myself, ‘If you believe in yourself, and your team believes in you, you can do it.’”
Kipyegon put up a valiant effort as she raced four times around the track, accompanied by several pace runners.
Kipyegon is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500 meters and owns the world record in the event at 3:49.04. The Kenyan middle-distance runner has also earned four world championship gold medals.
Roger Bannister became the first man to run a sub-4-minute mile in 1954. No woman has yet broken the 4-minute mile barrier.
“I want this attempt to say to women, ‘You can dream and make your dreams valid,’” Kipyegon said, via Nike. “This is the way to go as women, to push boundaries and dream big.”
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