Gina McNamara

3x Olympic champion and mile/1500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon just spoke to the media in a virtual press conference of Breaking4 (her attempt to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile on June 26th in Paris). A few takeaways: • Her current personal best and the women's mile world record is 4:07.64. Even she admits that it's hard not to think about how to cut that much time down. Kipygeon: "This is a challenge whereby…you have to think of it. You have to dream about how will I cross the 800m mark? How will I cross that 1200m mark? It’s a repetition of, 'I have to be myself' and just think of how I will strategize seven seconds. It’s a challenge and we are going for that challenge…Everybody (is) thinking of how we are going to get away from these seven seconds? It’s also like me. I think the same." • Kipyegon says she and coach Patrick Sang did not alter much of her training for this race compared to previous training blocks. Kipyegon: “For me, I would say I didn’t change much. I didn’t change anything in terms of training. What my coach always gives me is the same workouts I’ve been doing going into the Olympics or World Championships. Going into this race, the mindset is different but the goal is the same – dreaming of achieving what is inside me, which is breaking four.” • Nike made some custom-designed spikes for Kipyegon based off the Zoom Victory 2s that she wears in races. These are reportedly lighter and more responsive. A spokesperson for Nike told me that they will not be world-record eligible since they were not submitted to World Athletics for approval. Kipyegon says she wore prototypes of them in Xiamen for the Diamond League, where she ran 2:29.21 for 1000m (right at 4:00/mile pace). Kipyegon: “I tried them on in Xiamen in the 1000m. This feels totally different compared to the Zoom Victory, which I’m used to, especially in the Diamond League. It’s a fast shoe. The purple colors are really beautiful…I hope everything will be really good next week.” • Nike is also outfitting her with a "Fly Suit" kit designed to reduce drag and improve her aerodynamics. Kipyegon: “The shirt with this suit is a little bit longer compared with the race uniform from 2025 with the gold medalist kit. At the same time, the material used in the suit is totally different from the one we are using in the Diamond Leagues. It feels so light. It feels so comfortable. It feels very friendly to the skin." • On how she's thinking about Breaking4 in regards to her legacy: “It will cement my legacy and also give hope to other women that everything is possible.”