Kipyegon off the pace in Parisian anticlimax

Kenyan's attempt to become first woman to run a mile in under four minutes falls flat

- Sean Ingle

Faith Kipyegon's dream of following in Sir Roger Bannister's long footsteps by becoming the first woman to shatter the four-minute barrier for the mile ended with her body soaked in lactic acid and defiance. And, crucially, with the stadium clock at Stade Charléty more than six seconds away from where she had hoped it would be.

The 31-year-old Kenyan arrived in Paris stacked with the latest weapons in track and field's technological arms race. But having reached the bell in 3min 1sec, just about on schedule, she found that physiology began to overpower technology.

There was a consolation of sorts as she finished in 4:06.42 - 1.22 faster than her world record. The new time will not count as she was being paced by men, which is against World Athletics rules.

"This was the first trial," she said. "We are learning many lessons from this race. I will go back to the drawing board to get it right. And I think there is more in the tank."