Can This Woman’s
Bra Help Her
Make History?
Faith Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion, wants to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile. Nike kitted her out for her attempt.
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In Paris this Thursday, Faith Kipyegon will try to run a mile in under four minutes — and make history. The barrier, first broken in 1954 by Roger Bannister and since passed by almost 2,100 men, has never been surpassed by a woman.
The Kenyan runner, 31, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist who holds women’s world records in the mile and the 1,500 meters. But Ms. Kipyegon’s world record for a mile is 4:07.64, meaning she must trim at least 7.65 seconds off her previous personal best. No wonder she calls the attempt her “moonshot.”
As part of a sponsorship deal called Breaking4, Nike is dressing Ms. Kipyegon for her run. In addition to an aerodynamic one-piece suit featuring “3D-printed aeronodes” — hemispherical bobbles — to counterbalance airflow, she will wear a featherlight 3D-printed sports bra and 85-gram track “spikes.” What makes the gear so revolutionary? Find out below.
Photographs by Nike. Produced by Michael Beswetherick and Antonio de Luca.
Elizabeth Paton reports on the global fashion industry for The Times, a topic she has covered for more than a decade. She is based in London.
The post Can This Woman’s
Bra Help Her
Make History? appeared first on New York Times.
