Kenyan distance running icon Faith Kipyegon came tantalisingly close to rewriting history on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, where she clocked a blistering 4:06.12 in the mile.

Despite falling just over six seconds short of breaking the elusive four-minute barrier, a feat no woman has ever achieved, Kipyegon’s time was still a second faster than the world record she already holds.

The performance, staged as part of a high-profile Nike exhibition event, reaffirmed her dominance in women’s middle-distance running and stirred global admiration for her relentless pursuit of excellence.

Chasing history, creating legacy 💜

Still the fastest mile run by a woman in history, @Kipyegon_Faith gives everything in her quest to break the 4️⃣ minute mile and stops the clock at 4:06.42.

Thank you, Faith, for making us dream.

Maybe not today, but soon…😤 pic.twitter.com/Px9xTqNA9S

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) June 26, 2025

Running in specially designed Nike spikes and an aerodynamic racing suit, and aided by an 11-pacer formation to minimise wind resistance, Kipyegon set a searing pace in front of a charged Parisian crowd. However, her audacious attempt to slice 7.65 seconds off her own world record would ultimately fall short.

Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion, had hoped the run would be a career-defining moment, not just for herself, but for women and girls across the globe.

While history must wait, her determination has inspired renewed conversations about the boundaries of human performance in women’s athletics.

Her performance comes amid rising momentum in the sport: the number of women running sub-4:00 times in the 1,500 m, the “metric mile”, has more than doubled in the last five years. With each stride, Kipyegon is not just chasing records but expanding the horizon of what is possible for women in sport.