Kenya’s middle-distance legend, Faith Kipyegon, is preparing to etch her name even deeper into the history books as she takes on an audacious challenge — to become the first woman in history to run a mile in under 4 minutes.
The historic attempt is scheduled for June 26, 2025, at Stade Charléty in Paris, under a special event tagged “Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile”, organized and supported by Nike. The project mirrors the famed Breaking2 initiative that aimed to break the two-hour marathon barrier, and now, it’s Kipyegon’s turn to redefine what is possible in women’s athletics.
Faith Kipyegon is no stranger to breaking records. With three Olympic gold medals, multiple World Championship titles, and world records in the 1500m, mile, and 5000m, she is widely regarded as the greatest female middle-distance runner of all time. Her current mile record stands at 4:07.64, meaning she needs to slash over seven seconds off that time to dip under the four-minute mark — a feat long considered physiologically impossible for female athletes.
But Kipyegon believes otherwise.
“I think breaking four will really cement my legacy,” she said in a recent interview. “Everything we do, we have to dream big and just believe.”
