Faith KIpyegon after the race in Paris, June 26, 2025.Kenya’s middle-distance queen Faith Kipyegon narrowly missed out on making athletics history on Thursday night at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, falling short of becoming the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes.
In a race billed as one of the most anticipated of the year, Kipyegon clocked 4:06.42, more than six seconds shy of the elusive sub-four milestone and just under two seconds faster than her own world record of 4:07.64, set in Monaco in 2023.
Despite missing the mark, the reigning world and Olympic champion received a standing ovation from the Parisian crowd for her courageous attempt, as she continues to push the limits of women’s middle-distance running.
“I know one day, one time, a woman will run under four minutes,” said Kipyegon after the race.
“It was very special. I did not expect to see so many people. Everything is possible.”
The event, dubbed “Breaking4,” was Nike’s ambitious project modeled after the successful Ineos 1:59 Challenge, where fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in 2019.
Backed by her sponsor Nike, Kipyegon was flanked by an elite cast of 12 international pacemakers, all working in concert to help her defy physiological limits.
The world-class pacing lineup featured stars such as Niels Laros (Netherlands), Grant Fisher and Craig Engels (USA), Stewart McSweyn (Australia), Jemma Reekie and Elliot Giles (Great Britain), Halimah Nakaayi (Uganda) and compatriot own Wycliffe Kinyamal.
They operated in a wind-blocking V-formation, five pacers up front to shield her from headwinds, Fisher running shoulder-to-shoulder and the rest forming a protective pack behind.
After two laps, the female pacers stepped off leaving the men to push Kipyegon to the line. Her audacious goal was to shatter the psychological and physical barrier that no woman has breached.
Kipyegon would have entered a realm long dominated by men like Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, who still holds the men’s Mile world record of 3:43.13 from 1999.
Although the historic mark remained intact, Kipyegon was upbeat after the race.
"Today we showed that anything is possible if you belive. I am sure in the future if not me then someone else will run under four minutes," she said.
Se thanked the fans and her pacers for an exceplary job.
"I did not expect such a large turn out but I am happy everyone came out to support me. I thank the pacers for an amazing job and pushing me."
To bolster her record attempt, Kipyegon donned a specially engineered Nike Fly Suit, designed to minimise air resistance, along with custom-built racing spikes modeled after her trusted Zoom Victory 2s.
Paris was a fitting venue for this record-breaking quest.
It’s where Kipyegon set the 1,500m world record (3:49.04) in 2023.
She further posted a World record of 14:05.20 in the 5,000m, only to see the mark surpassed weeks later by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay (14:00.21) at the Prefontaine Classic.
It was also in the French Capital, at the Olympic Games, that Kipyegon won her third successive 1,500m gold in a blistering 3:51.29, shattering her own Olympic record in the process.
