Faith Kipyegon is already a three-time Olympic champion in the 1500-meter run. She currently holds world records in both that event and the mile.
Next on her to-do list: Become the first woman to break the four-minute barrier in the mile run.
The 31-year-old Kenyan is making a run at that hallowed mark in a Nike-sponsored event dubbed “Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile” on June 26 at the Stade Charlety in Paris. She set the world record mark of 4 minutes, 7.64 seconds nearly two years ago during a Diamond League meet in Monaco.
“I think breaking four will really cement my legacy,” Kipyegon said in a Zoom call Wednesday. “The next generation is looking up to us to show them the way, and this is what I’m doing now. … Everything we do, we have to dream big and just believe in ourselves that we could do it.”
It was more than 71 years ago when English runner Roger Bannister became the first in recorded history to eclipse the hallowed mark, clocking in at 3:59.4.