Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon tries to become 1st woman to break 4-minute mile next week in Paris

Faith Kipyegon’s already a three-time Olympic 1,500-meter champion. She’s already the world-record holder in the mile and 1,500.

Next on her to-accomplish list: Become the first woman to break the 4-minute mile barrier.

The 31-year-old Kipyegon is making a run at that hallowed mark in a Nike-sponsored event dubbed “ Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile ” on June 26 at the Stade Charlety in Paris. She set the world record mark of 4:07.64 nearly two years ago during a Diamond League meet in Monaco.

“I think breaking four will really cement my legacy,” Kipyegon said in a Zoom call on Wednesday. “The next generation is looking up to us to show them the way and this is what I’m doing now. … Everything we do, we have to dream big and just believe in ourselves that we could do it.”

It was more than 71 years ago when British runner Roger Bannister became the first man to eclipse 4 minutes when he ran 3:59.4.

For Kipyegon, finding extra speed to trim a little more than 7.64 seconds occupies her thoughts and drives her in training. But really, she and her coach, Patrick Sang, aren’t altering from their routine too much to chase a sub-4 mile time.

What she’s doing in workouts now has already proven highly successful. She won her third straight 1,500 Olympic title in Paris last August. A month before that, she broke her own 1,500 record on the same track where she will run next Thursday.

“For me, I would say being mentally strong and believing in everything I do,” she said of preparing for big moments. “Believing in the training, believing in waking up to empower the next generation, believing in everything that has been from my younger time when I was running barefoot to where I am now. It has really given me that drive to wake up and go for training and just be strong.”

She will be wearing the latest innovations from Nike, too, from her aerodynamic track suit to her spikes. Should she break the mark, it would be subject to ratification by World Athletics.

Fellow Kenyan runner, longtime friend and training partner Eliud Kipchoge has been providing emotional support. He had an event set up for him in 2019, when he ran a marathon in 1:59:40 to break the 2-hour marathon barrier at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Austria. The mark wasn’t ratified by the sport’s governing body.

“It will be lovely to see Eliud after the finish line,” said Kipyegon, who’s a four-time world champion. “I get positive messages from around the world that I can do it. … It really motivates me a lot going on to this challenge. I know it will not be easy, but I’m going to try my best and we will see what the finish line offers.”

She’s eager for the challenge to show the next generation of female runners that anything is possible. That includes her young daughter, Alyn.

“You have to dream and just be patient for it,” Kipyegon said.

Same with her quest next week, which she will approach in increments.

“You have to dream of how will I cross the 800 mark? How will I cross that 1,200 mark?” Kipyegon explained. “It’s the repetition of, ‘I have to be myself and just think of how will I shed the seven seconds?’

“I will feel so great if I just run after that finish line and see under four minutes. It will be historical.”

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