June 26 (UPI) -- More than 70 years have passed since Roger Banniser became the first human to clock a sub-4 minute mile. Now, Faith Kipyegon looks to etch her name in history as the first woman to accomplish the feat Thursday in Paris.
Kipyegon will attempt the feat at 1:15 p.m. EDT Thursday at Stade Sebastien Charlety. You can watch live here, via Nike's YouTube Channel. The time will not count as an official world record because of the unsanctioned nature of the event.
"It's about being mentally strong and believing in everything I do," Kipyegon told reporters. "Believing in the training, believing in waking up to empower the next generation, believing in everything that happened from my younger time when I was running to where I am now."
The 31-year-old Kenyan athlete previously set 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter women's world records at the same Paris track. She first set the 5,000-meter mark with a 14:05.20 performance in 2023, but that record now belongs to Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay.
Kipyegon's 3:49.04 record for the 1,500, which she set when she won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics, still stands. She won the last three Olympic gold medals in that event. Kipyegon earned silver in the 5,000-meter event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
