Few track events strike a balance between endurance and speed quite like the mile, a race that demands strength, strategy, and sheer will.
Over the past five decades, women have pushed its limits, chipping away at the stopwatch, rewriting the script of what’s possible.
And now, in the era of Kenyan superstar Faith Kipyegon, the mile has entered uncharted territory.
Back in 1967, Britain’s Anne Smith made history by clocking 4:37.0. A mark that was soon edged out by Maria Gommers of the Netherlands, who ran 4:36.8 just two years later.
The 1970s ushered in more ambition. East Germany’s Ellen Tittel lowered the time to 4:35.3 in 1971, and two years later, Italy’s Paola Cacchi smashed through the 4:30 barrier with a bold 4:29.5. But it was Romania’s Natalia Mărășescu who truly shifted gears. She was the first with a 4:23.8 in 1977, then improving it to 4:22.09 in 1979.
The 1980s proved to be a golden age. Mary Decker of the U.S. lit up the track with 4:21.68 in 1980. Soon after came a flurry of breakthroughs, Lyudmila Veselkova (4:20.89), Mary Tabb (4:18.08), Maricica Puică (4:17.44), and Mary Slaney (4:16.71). Then, in 1989, Romania’s Paula Ivan delivered a stunning 4:15.61.
That record stood for nearly seven years before Russia’s Svetlana Masterkova produced a dazzling 4:12.56 in 1996. A time that would remain untouched for over two decades.
Then came Sifan Hassan. In 2019, the Dutch star, finally eclipsed Masterkova’s mark with a 4:12.33 run at the Monaco Diamond League. It was fast, fierce, and historic.
But in 2023, the world witnessed something even more extraordinary.
Faith Kipyegon
The double Olympic champion, already considered one of the greatest middle-distance runners in history. She took the sport to another level. At the very same Monaco meet, she obliterated Hassan’s record with a jaw-dropping 4:07.64.
From Anne Smith’s 4:37 to Kipyegon’s 4:07, the women’s mile has been a story of relentless ambition, decade after decade.
And tonight in Paris, the next chapter may be written.
At 31, Kipyegon is aiming to become the first woman to ever run a sub-four-minute mile. The stage is set at Stade Sébastien Charléty, and anticipation is sky-high for what could be another defining moment in athletics history.