Did Her Bra Help Her
Make History?
Faith Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion, didn’t break the four-minute mile, but did set a new personal best wearing a trailblazing bra and spikes from Nike.
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In Paris this week, Faith Kipyegon tried 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, had never been surpassed by a woman.
The Kenyan runner, 31, and three-time Olympic gold medalist didn’t break the record this time. But her new time set on Thursday at Stade Charlety in Paris was still the fastest ever recorded by a woman for a mile, and broke the previous record she set in 2023.
“I’m tired, but I feel good that I’ve tried,” Ms. Kipyegon said after the attempt. “I’ve proven that it’s possible. It’s only a matter of time. If it’s not me, it will be somebody else. One day a woman will run under four.”
As part of a sponsorship deal called Breaking4, Nike dressed Ms. Kipyegon for her run. In addition to an aerodynamic one-piece suit featuring “3D-printed aeronodes” — hemispherical bobbles — to counterbalance airflow, she wore 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.
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