Keeping the faith: Kipyegon chases the Bannister feat

New Delhi: In another busy season in world athletics, Swedish pole-vaulter Armand Duplantis is again bettering his world record for fun, nudging the mark up by a centimetre, improving it twice already in 2025 taking his overall count to 12. Faith Kipyegon, the Kenyan 1,500m queen's reign has lasted close to a decade. She has won the last three Olympic and world titles and holds two world records, but come June 26, she will seek to be measured on a different yardstick.
The 31-year-old Kenyan super mom wants to 'cement' her legacy by attempting to become the first woman to run the classic mile race under four minutes. Kipyegon's race, planned to the minutest detail by her sponsors Nike and dubbed Breaking4, will be run on the blue track of Stade Charlety in Paris, a venue where she also set her 1,500m world record last year and the mile mark a year earlier.
Kipyegon's mile record stands at 4:07.64, and the target before the woman from Kenya's Rift Valley, renowned for its athletics champions, is 7.65 seconds. While there are a few skeptics, Kipyegon is brimming with confidence.
'I don't believe it's a matter of if a woman can break 4 minutes in the mile. It's a matter of when we will do it,' she said in comments on Nike's X handle in April, when the race was announced. 'I want this attempt to say to women, 'You can dream and make your dreams valid.' This is the way to go as women, to push boundaries and dream big.'
On Tuesday, in a virtual media interaction, Kipyegon, finetuning her preparations in Kenya, added: 'You can't limit yourself… Not only about what a man can do, we all have that dream.' Her coach Patrick Sang's words 'dream and be patient' will remain her motto.
Bannister Legacy
For the avalanche of records that have fallen in the last few decades thanks to the revolution in scientific training methods and support to athletics, the romance and charm around the sub four-minute mile has never dimmed. British runner Roger Bannister becoming the first man to dip under four minutes for the four-lap race at the Oxford University track on May 6, 1954 is still held up as a shining example of human endeavour.
Kipyegon planting a flag on that summit as the first woman, 71 years after Bannister clocked a historic 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, too would be very special. The seven decades since showcase progress as well. Bannister, a junior doctor then, worked at his London hospital in the morning before taking the train to Oxford and claiming a slice of athletics immortality. His record came on a cinder track and the modest aid, apart from the pace-setter in a six-man race, was said to be the graphite rubbed on his spikes to prevent the clay from sticking.
This is the age of cutting-edge technology. Kipyegon will wear Nike's Victory Elite FK spikes and a special sports bra designed by the company. Nike has also produced an innovative 'Fly Suit', advertised as the most aerodynamic attire that will cover her from just below the neck to just above the knee. To help Kipyegon stay 'slippery', tiny 'aeronodes', around the neck and hip area, to 'disrupt airflow and reduce drag'. The nodes are meant to create smaller eddies behind her to reduce drag, says the Nike promo for the race.
Project Kipchoge
For any added inspiration, Kipyegon only needs to look at compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, the marathon great, who made two attempts to run the distance under two hours. The Nike project was criticised as a marketing gimmick with its then shoe model too not getting World Athletics approval. His first attempt in 2017 fell 25 seconds short, but the next two years later called Breaking2 in Vienna saw Kipchoge clock 1:59:40.2. However, it doesn't count as a world record because of his shoes and the manner in which pacers were used.
Next Thursday in Paris, Kipyegon will have pace-setters and the Wavelight, the LEDs embedded inside of the track to visually indicate the pace. It remains to be seen how the Kenyan, a front-runner, goes in the final stretch. This race too is unlikely to be ratified by WA.
'What is the most challenging? How will I run this race, go through the first round, second round…I just want to be myself.'

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