Olympic champ Faith Kipyegon says being 1st woman to run 4-minute mile would 'cement my legacy'

Pat Graham · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 1:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Faith Kipyegon's already a three-time Olympic 1,500-metre champion. She's already the world-record holder successful the mile (1,609m) and 1,500.

Next connected her to-accomplish list: Become the archetypal pistillate to interruption the four-minute mile barrier.

The 31-year-old Kipyegon is making a tally astatine that hallowed people successful a Nike-sponsored lawsuit dubbed Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile connected June 26 astatine the Stade Charlety successful Paris. She acceptable the satellite grounds people of 4:07.64 astir 2 years agone during a Diamond League conscionable successful Monaco.

"I deliberation breaking 4 volition truly cement my legacy," Kipyegon said successful a Zoom telephone connected Wednesday. "The adjacent procreation is looking up to america to amusement them the mode and this is what I'm doing now. … Everything we do, we person to imagination large and conscionable judge successful ourselves that we could bash it."

It was much than 71 years agone erstwhile British runner Roger Bannister became the archetypal antheral to eclipse 4 minutes erstwhile helium ran 3:59.4.

For Kipyegon, uncovering other velocity to trim a small much than 7.64 seconds occupies her thoughts and drives her successful training. But really, she and her coach, Patrick Sang, aren't altering from their regular excessively overmuch to pursuit a sub-four-mile time.

What she's doing successful workouts present has already proven highly successful. She won her 3rd consecutive 1,500 Olympic rubric successful Paris past August. A period earlier that, she broke her ain 1,500 grounds connected the aforesaid way wherever she volition tally adjacent Thursday.

"For me, I would accidental being mentally beardown and believing successful everything I do," she said of preparing for large moments. "Believing successful the training, believing successful waking up to empower the adjacent generation, believing successful everything that has been from my younger clip erstwhile I was moving barefoot to wherever I americium now. It has truly fixed maine that thrust to aftermath up and spell for grooming and conscionable beryllium strong."

Kipchoge offering affectional support

She volition beryllium wearing the latest innovations from Nike, too, from her aerodynamic way suit to her spikes. Should she interruption the mark, it would beryllium taxable to ratification by World Athletics.

Fellow Kenyan runner, longtime person and grooming spouse Eliud Kipchoge has been providing affectional support. He had an lawsuit acceptable up for him successful 2019, erstwhile helium ran a marathon successful 1:59:40 to interruption the two-hour marathon obstruction astatine the INEOS 1:59 Challenge successful Austria. The people wasn't ratified by the sport's governing body.

"It volition beryllium beauteous to spot Eliud aft the decorativeness line," said Kipyegon, who's a four-time satellite champion. "I get affirmative messages from astir the satellite that I tin bash it. … It truly motivates maine a batch going connected to this challenge. I cognize it volition not beryllium easy, but I'm going to effort my champion and we volition spot what the decorativeness enactment offers."

She's anxious for the situation to amusement the adjacent procreation of pistillate runners that thing is possible. That includes her young daughter, Alyn.

"You person to imagination and conscionable beryllium diligent for it," Kipyegon said.

Same with her quest adjacent week, which she volition attack successful increments.

"You person to imagination of however volition I transverse the 800 mark? How volition I transverse that 1,200 mark?" Kipyegon explained. "It's the repetition of, 'I person to beryllium myself and conscionable deliberation of however volition I shed the 7 seconds?'

"I volition consciousness truthful large if I conscionable tally aft that decorativeness enactment and spot nether 4 minutes. It volition beryllium historical."