PuraVida Sports

By Robert Rutto

In the balmy evening air of Monaco’s Stade Louis II on July 21, 2023, Faith Kipyegon took to the track not just as a champion, but as a conqueror, ready to etch her name in history. Yet again. 

Already riding the wave of an extraordinary season — having blitzed the 1,500 metres world record in Florence and shattered the 5,000m record in Paris mere weeks before—Kipyegon arrived at Monaco with fire in her belly and belief in her stride 

Lap one: 

Pacemakers Kristie Schoffield and Winnie Nanyondo frantically surged, piercing the cool the air at an unforgiving pace. Kipyegon tucked herself in, composed and calculated, keeping a close eye on the world-record Wavelight flash alongside her .

Lap two and three: 

With every stride she pulled into checkered flag territory, timing each heartbeat, each movement, as if conducting a symphony of speed. The blinding timers flashed 1:01.76 at 400m, 2:04.10 at 800m — Kipyegon remained on schedule. And unblinded.

Then came the bell lap: 

The seated crowd held its breath. Kipyegon surged—a prized fighter launching her coup around the last curve . By the finish, she hadn’t just won—she had annihilated. 4:07.64! Nearly five seconds under Sifan Hassan’s record from 2019—right on the same hallowed track 

More than a win—it was a declaration

She carved over 4.5 seconds off the previous mark: a quantum leap in a discipline often measured in hundredths .

Her margin of victory over the opposition was staggering — nearly seven seconds — so commanding that she towed the field to also shatter personal, national, and continental barriers in her wake.

Ireland’s Ciara Mageean clocked a national record of 4:14.58; Laura Muir knocked down the 38-year-old British mile record; and across the board, athletes from multiple continents rose to record-breaking feats.

Faith’s own words

“I really enjoyed the race. I came for that, I wanted to chase the world record,” Kipyegon reflected, the elation still coursing through her voice. 

Kipyegon’s astonishing feat did not just rewrite the history books — it sent seismic waves.

She stood as an emblem of possibility, showing that after motherhood, belief, training, and resolve could yield greatness. 

Monaco wasn’t her limit—it was the launchpad for even greater dreams, culminating in the potentially sublime sub-4-minute mile she plans to run in Paris this Thursday, June 26, 2025.