Barrier Motivates Kenyan

Olympic champion Kipyegon believes four-minute mile barrier within reach soon

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PARIS - Faith Kipyegon said she believes a woman will break the four-minute barrier for the mile "in this generation or the next," and the challenge is what keeps her training.

The Kenyan came up short in her specially arranged attempt in June 2025 to become the first woman to smash through the four-minute barrier, clocking 4min 6.42sec in Paris.

"My goal was to be the first woman to run under four minutes in the mile. I would say I didn't do what I wanted to do, but it sent a message that it is possible one day," she said in a roundtable interview released on Aug 7, ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo in September.

"If it does not come my way, it will be someone one day," the 31-year-old added.

Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500m, said that history-making goal gets her out of bed in the morning.