Kenyan athletics superstar Faith Kipyegon has announced her boldest challenge yet: an attempt to become the first woman in history to run a mile in under four minutes. The record-breaking bid is scheduled for June 26 in Paris, where Kipyegon will take part in a specially arranged exhibition race designed to push the limits of human endurance. The 31-year-old, who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 1500 meters, will aim to cut more than seven seconds off her own official women’s mile world record of 4:07.64, which she set in Monaco in July 2023.
Although the run will not qualify as an official world record due to the expected use of rotating pacemakers and Nike’s cutting-edge performance technology, the event is intended as a symbolic and inspirational milestone — echoing Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon in 2019 under similar conditions. “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 an interview. “I want this attempt to say to women, ‘you can dream and make your dreams valid’.”
Kipyegon is already one of the most decorated female middle-distance runners in history. In addition to her Olympic success, she holds the 1500m world record (3:49.11), is a three-time World Champion in the distance, and claimed 5000m gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Remarkably, five of her major titles came after giving birth to her daughter Alyn in 2018.
“Becoming a mother has changed my entire mental attitude,” she said. “You have to engage yourself, you have to show your child the way. I want her to see that women can reach any goal.” Kipyegon’s sub-four bid comes 70 years after Britain’s Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes — a feat once considered impossible. Just weeks later, Diane Leather, also from the UK, became the first woman to break the five-minute barrier.
The current men’s world mile record — 3:43.13, set by Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999 — remains one of the longest-standing records in track history. Kipyegon’s effort will not be recognized by World Athletics as an official world record, but organizers hope it will spark new interest in middle-distance running and promote gender equality in athletics. The event will be broadcast globally and is expected to draw major international attention, with fans eager to see if Kipyegon can shatter one of sport’s last great symbolic barriers.
