Why Some Are Questioning Faith Kipyegon’s 4:06.42 Time At Nike’s Breaking4

When Faith Kipyegon crossed the finish line in her much-anticipated mile attempt at Nike’s Breaking4 event in Paris, the broadcast clock showed 4:06.91. Moments later, the official time was updated across screens, announcers, and press materials to 4:06.42, a drop of nearly half a second that has since drawn criticism and questioning from coaches, analysts, and long-time followers of the sport.

The adjustment wasn’t just unusual, it was almost unprecedented.

In professional track and field, post-race timing corrections typically shift by a few hundredths of a second after review. A correction of nearly half a second is virtually unheard of. What made this shift more controversial was the apparent reason behind it.

According to reporting by L’Équipe and shared by French coach PJ Vazel, the revised time reflected what’s called a “flying mile”; a measurement based not on the gun-to-finish time that governs all official track races, but on the time it took Kipyegon to run from a sensor just beyond the starting line to the finish.

Her foot was reportedly 20 cm behind the sensor at the start. This approach mirrors the chip-vs-gun timing system common in road races, but does not align with the long-established standards of track competition, where the official time always begins with the firing of the starting pistol.

Kipyegon’s 4:06.91, as initially displayed, was the true gun time.

The 4:06.42 figure appears to have been calculated by excluding her reaction time and early movement toward the line.

While such a distinction might seem minor, it represents a fundamental break from how professional times are typically recorded. Reaction to the gun is an intrinsic part of track racing, included in every world record and championship result.

The consequences of such a change become more glaring when applied to edge cases. Had Kipyegon run, for example, 4:00.40 by gun time, a similar adjustment could have resulted in a reported 3:59.9, which would have no doubt opened further debate about the magnitude of what was achieved at Braining4.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the most critical voices within the running world raised concerns immediately following the adjustment.

LetsRun.com co-founder Robert Johnson reviewed video of the race and hand-timed it twice, arriving at 4:06.68. Hand times are typically slightly faster than fully automatic timing (FAT), but when adjusted by the standard +0.24 seconds, the result, 4:06.92, matches the original on-screen clock almost exactly. There has been no evidence to suggest the 4:06.91 was incorrect.

What remains unclear is whether Nike knowingly used a system designed to capture this alternate timing method or whether the adjustment was the result of a communication lapse between the timing setup and public reporting.

The company has not issued a detailed explanation or public clarification as of the publication of this story. The only available breakdown of the timing system has come secondhand through translated French media and commentary by outside analysts.

Faith Kipyegon herself has not commented publicly on the discrepancy.

Her performance, soloing a 4:06 mile under the lights in Paris, stands as the fastest ever run by a woman, albeit unofficial. The timing controversy does not detract from her effort, but it has highlighted a tension between marketing-driven spectacle and the standards of traditional competitive track and field events, like the Diamond League.