Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon falls short in her attempt to break 4-minute mile
PARIS (AP) — Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon failed in her bid Thursday to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes.
Kipyegon, the Olympic 1,500-meter gold medalist from Kenya, ran in 4 minutes, 06.42 seconds — the fastest mile in history by a woman — at Stade Charléty in Paris.
Her time was better than her world record of 4:07.64 but won’t be recognized by the international federation because the Nike-sponsored event dubbed ” Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile ” was unofficial. She was supported by pacemakers and equipped with Nike’s latest innovations, from her aerodynamic track suit to her spikes.
“I gave everything today to try, it was not about running a tactical race” Kipyegon said. “It was the first trial. I have proven that it’s possible and it’s only a matter of time. I think it will come to our way. If it’s not me, it will be somebody else. I know one day, one time a woman will run under 4:00. I will not lose hope. I will still go for it.”
The 31-year-old Kipyegon looked exhausted as she reached the finish and fell on her back as she was surrounded by photographers.
Her attempt took place on a balmy summer’s evening with a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) and limited wind, in front of an audience of a few thousand people. She used a team of 13 elite pace setters made of 11 men and two women who were positioned in front and behind her to reduce drag.
She stayed on the inside of the track throughout her punishing effort. She appeared to struggle midway through the race and failed in her attempt to shave at least 7.65 seconds off her world record. To achieve the feat, Kipyegon would have needed to run each of her four laps an average of about two seconds faster.
“I think next time we will catch up with the light,” Kipyegon added, joking about the Wavelight, a pace-setting system using a series of LED lights on the inside of the track making it easier to follow whether an athlete is ahead, or falling behind.
Kipyegon also had a message for her daughter and young girls watching.
“I will tell them we are not limited,” she said. “We can limit ourselves with thoughts, but it is possible to try everything and prove to the world that we are strong. Keep pushing.”
Among the guests in Paris were Carl Lewis and Kipyegon’s fellow Kenyan runner, longtime friend and training partner Eliud Kipchoge.
It was more than 71 years ago when British runner Roger Bannister became the first man to eclipse four minutes in 3:59.4.
Kipyegon set the women’s mile world record nearly two years ago during a Diamond League meet in Monaco.
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 ran on Thursday.
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