Kipyegon targets four minute mile in Nike Breaking 4 project

LONDON – Kenya’s triple Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon is set to attempt the first women’s, unofficial sub-four-minute mile in a Nike “Breaking4” project – following the success of Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon.

Nike said on April 23 that Kipyegon, 31, is to attempt the feat on June 26 at Stade Charlety in Paris, where she beat her own 1,500m world record in 2024.

Full details are yet to be revealed but, as with her compatriot’s 1hr 59min 40.2sec marathon in Vienna in 2019, she is likely to be aided by “in and out” pacers, new high-tech shoes and kit, plus other technological, physiological and psychological help that will mean any record would not be officially recognised.

Kipyegon set the current official mile world record of 4:07.64 for the distance in 2023, taking almost five seconds off Sifan Hassan’s 2019 mark, so she would need a huge leap forward to achieve the landmark time.

“I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles. I thought, ‘What else, why not dream outside the box?’” she said.

“I want this attempt to say to women, ‘You can dream and make your dreams valid’.”

The Kenyan 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 took the 5,000m gold.

As well as the mile record, she also holds the 1,500m world record of 3:49.04 and barely seemed to take a breath after taking time away from the track to have a baby.

“Becoming a mother has changed my entire mental attitude,” she added. “You have to engage yourself, you have to show your child the way.”

Nike will be applying the lessons learnt from Kipchoge’s attempts, where he narrowly failed and then subsequently succeeded