Why this is Faith Kipyegon’s world and we are just living in it

Now that was more like the Faith Kipyegon we all know and adore: that confident smile before destroying a quality field to set her fifth world record in just over two years; the controlled aggression followed by the furious finishing speed to smash her own 1500m mark after clocking 3:48.68 at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, 2025.

This was Faith at her absolute best.

Seeing her float around the track in that beautiful rhythmic stride came as a relief for her legion of fans who were left in shock when she failed to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile on June 27.

Now, Faith not succeeding is not something we are accustomed to because whenever ‘Kafayie’ lines up for a race, she wins: three Olympic 1500m gold medals (the only person to achieve that feat) and four World titles among a multitude of other accolades paints the picture of a serial winner.

To put it in a different context, Faith hasn't lost a 1500m race in four years. She has lost two races in two-and-a-half years — she came second in the 5000m at the Paris Olympics, was placed third in the one-mile road race at the 2023 World Road Running Championships and failed to finish the 10km Sirikwa Cross country earlier this year.

Predictably, the debate raged in the aftermath of the Breaking 4 attempt as all of us became experts in pacing, draft and stadium. The truth though was somewhere in between.

The Breaking 4 was the latest example of the sport thinking outside the box and trying something new. In a world where athletics audiences are dwindling by the day and interest waning, this was a chance to do something different, something to spike interest outside of the purists.

It was also her sponsor Nike hoping to grab the world's attention with another magical Kenyan performance. After all, everyone remembers Kipchoge's 1:59 challenge in Vienna almost six years ago and the impact it had on the sport.

Breaking 4

Nike also was using Breaking 4 to showcase its new focus on women’s sporting apparel. That the giant American admits to have focused way too much on men’s sports in the past gave birth to the Breaking 4 attempt. Perfect weather, stadium, feather-light spikes and futuristic kit were all considered as Faith boldly tried to go where no woman had gone before.

And so on June 26, 2025 we all tuned in waiting to see history. Try as she might, Faith couldn't find the eight seconds needed to make history, clocking 4:06.91 — under her official World Record but not the historic time we all had hoped for.

The post-mortem was as quick as it was brutal. We questioned everything. Did her pacers know their job? Why were there not enough fans in the stadium? Did she prepare enough? Did Nike give her the best possible preparations?

Would Nike have done a few things differently? Possibly. Would having pacers she was familiar with help? Possibly. Would a crowd have helped? Maybe.

It was always a tall order to ask Faith to shave eight seconds off her own mile world record. To put it into perspective, it took 34 years to shave eight seconds in the women's record — that’s between Romanian athlete Paula Ivan’s new mark of 4:15.61 in 1989 and Faith's mark of 4:07.64 set in 2023. To expect Faith to then cut eight seconds off it was over-ambitious.

Besides, when Englishman Roger Bannister dipped under the 4-minute mark in the men’s mile in 1954, he only needed to shave off two seconds to eclipse the previous mark of 4:01.4. It was a far more realistic target.

Put it this way: it took 24 years for the men's mark to improve eight seconds. Filbert Bayi of Tanzania ran 3:51.0 in 1975 (3:51.0) while the current world record of 3:43.13 was set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

Incredible achievements 

Maybe the expectation was because Faith had shaved off five seconds back in 2023 when she timed 4:07.64 and so we all thought that she could go three seconds better than the five in her attempt. Retrospectively, what that 2023 feat should have told us was just how incredible Faith's achievements were that evening.

Her major win was not necessarily in emulating Roger Bannister's 1954 epic run; it was in that she dared to try. That she gave it her all. And in trying, she went out of her comfort zone. She tried something different; something no woman had ever attempted. The buildup must have been exhausting. What with cameras following her every move, media duties and the pressure being under the gaze of the entire globe as she attempted the impossible! But in the end, she was better for it.

She was the central part of a marketing campaign that had the entire world watching her. The fact that Nike thought she could be a central figure in their quest to show their focus on women said everything about her standing and value to the company.

Faith has a three-part documentary on Amazon (Only the second Kenyan athlete with a documentary on any of the big content providers) and crucially she made money. All big wins for Mama Alyn.

And so back to the night of July 5 where with the Prefontaine Classic being Nike's home meet, the giant sports apparel manufacturer lined up all their shiny pieces for the 50th edition in Oregon.

Make no mistake, Faith is Nike's shiniest piece; the cheery on the cake -- and that is why her race was primed as the showstopper; the marquee event.

The big question was: would Faith deliver the goods? Was she tired? Would the mental toll of 'failing' in the mile attempt be a factor?

Even commentator Tim Hutchings wasn't too sure, saying that she didn't look herself in the mile attempt.

Soaking in the applause when she was introduced, she flashed that famous smile, blew a kiss to the crowd and followed it by a wave of her hands. This was Faith back in familiar surroundings; back in her stomping ground (she has now won her specialty seven times in Oregon) and here she is untouchable. And so she proved setting her third 1500m record in three years.

By doing so, she wiped away all those doubts and nagging questions. She is still the queen. Is it still Faith's world? Yes, it is. And yes, we are just living in it.