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Faith Kipyegon obliterates women’s mile world record by almost five seconds

Kipyegon set her third world record of the year and is the first woman to run a mile in under 4:10

Faith Kipyegon Monaco Photo by: Kevin Morris
July 21, 2023
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On Friday at the Monaco Diamond League, Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon ran the fastest women’s mile in history, breaking her third distance world record in the last two months. The 29-year-old mom clocked a jaw-dropping 4:07.64, taking over four seconds off the previous mile record.

In her first mile race since 2016, Kipyegon led the race from start to finish, going through the first 800 in 2:04 and closing in a negative split 2:03. Kipyegon broke the former mile world record of 4:12.33 set by Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands at the same meet in 2019.

It has been a sensational season for the women’s Olympic and world champion in the 1,500m, who previously lowered the 1,500m and 5,000m world records in June over a seven-day span. There was never a doubt heading into the meet that Kipyegon would break the record, but the question was by how much–and she made a statement, becoming the first woman to run a mile under 4:10.

Kipyegon’s new mile record is a huge step forward in women’s middle-distance running, as she pushes the mark closer to the elusive four-minute-mile barrier. Perhaps we will see a woman run sub-4 in our lifetime? 

Faith Kipyegon
Faith Kipyegon dazzles in Monaco in the women’s mile. Photo: Kevin Morris

The mile world record wasn’t the only record broken in the race, with Kipyegon dragging six athletes to their own respective national records in the mile. Ireland’s Ciara MaGeean finished behind Kipyegon in an Irish national record of 4:14.58, and Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, who went out with Kipyegon through the first two laps, finished third in a season’s best 4:14.79. Olympic 1,500m silver medallist Laura Muir finished fourth in a British national mile record of 4:15.24.

Marco Arop takes bronze in men’s 800m

Canada’s Marco Arop left it all on the line in the men’s 800m at the Monaco Diamond League. Arop took the early lead at 200m and found himself with a 10-metre gap at the front of the field at 400m, coming through in a swift 49 seconds. Arop continued to chip away but was challenged by Kenya’s Wyclife Kinyamal with 150 metres to go. Kinyamal surged ahead as Arop began to tie up in the final 50, winning the race in a world-leading time of 1:43.22.

Arop wound up third in his second-fastest time of the 2023 season, finishing third in 1:43.52. Slimane Moula of Algeria took second, dipping ahead of Arop at the finish line in 1:43.40.

The 24-year-old will now head to Langley, B.C., to defend his national title in the 800m at the Canadian Track and Field Championships next weekend.

Moh Ahmed hits Olympic 5,000m standard 

Heading into the men’s 5,000m at Monaco Diamond League, Moh Ahmed’s objective was the hit the 2024 Olympic standard of 13:05. He did just that with his 13:01.58 clocking to finish 10th. 

The pace in the early stages of the men’s 5,000m was hot, as the lead group of five men, including the 5K world record holder Berihu Aregawi and world XC champion Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, came through 3,000m on near world record pace. Ahmed established himself in the chase pack of seven men and nearly went under 13 for the second time this season. The 2016 Olympic 5,000m bronze medallist, Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, held off a surging Aregawi on the final lap to take the win in a personal best time of 12:42.18. Gebrhiwet has won two of his three 5,000m races this season and now holds the eighth-fastest men’s 5,000m time in history.

Canada’s Ahmed will return to training as he begins his final preparations for the 5,000m and 10,000m double at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, starting on Aug. 19.

You can view the full results from the 2023 Monaco Diamond League here.

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