Three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 1,500 metres cemented her legendary status, but Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon had the chance to do what no woman had done before — run the mile in less than four minutes. Dedicated pace makers, an aerodynamic suit with 3D-printed aeronodes to reduce wind resistance, new super spikes, a head band to reduce drag — Nike had kitted up Kipyegon to help her run faster than she ever had. She had trained with the pacemakers for months to ensure she got the best-possible advantage.
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But she had to run nearly eight seconds faster than her previous best to emulate Roger Bannister, who became the first man to run a four-minute mile.
However, it was not to be even for one of the greatest distance runners. In June, at the Stade Charléty in Paris, Kipyegon clocked 4:06.42, faster than her official world record of 4:07.64 but the barrier-breaking run remained a dream.
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However, going six seconds faster will be a monumental achievement for her or anyone else. There’s no doubting her spirit, fortitude and endurance but skeptics would have pointed to the assistance she got in a controlled race environment. The naysayers would have had a point.
In 2019, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to break the two-hour mark in the marathon in a curated course in Vienna with the help of a dedicated team of pace makers and the latest version of Nike’s shoes. His time of 1:59.40.2 was just under the two-hour mark but is not an official record. But over six years since, Kipchoge is the only man to ever do so. His World Athletics recognised fastest time in the marathon is 2:01.09, only bettered by Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00.35. Kiptum died in a car crash and Kipchoge is in his twilight years. Kipchoge wouldn’t have been a lesser athlete if he had missed the mark. Nor is Kipyegon.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd