Olympic star could break historic athletics record nobody thought possible with 3D printed 'flysuit'
An Olympic star is preparing to break an historic athletic record with a 'flysuit' that is designed with 3D-printed nodes.
Faith Kipyegon is one of the most decorated long distance runners, having medalled at an impressive three Olympics.
She claimed a gold medal in the 1500m event at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summers Games in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris respectively.
The Kenyan will now aim to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes - a feat no woman has ever done
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To become the first woman to run a sub-four minute mile, the 31-year-old will have to knock eight seconds of her own world record.
"The mindset is different, the goal is the same," she said.
"I know it will not be easy, but I will do my best and we’ll see what the finish line offers."
Kipyegon has teamed up Nike, who have named the project 'Breaking Four'. She will be wearing custom spikes and a top that Nike are describing as a 'flysuit', which is designed with 3D-printed nodes to smooth out air flow around the runner.
Even though she will be kitted out in state of the art technology, her training hasn't changed.
"For training, I didn’t change much. I just trained as I always train and do what my coach tells me, which is you have to train and just be patient for it," she added.
"This is the journey of inspiring the next generation. Not to limit themselves, they have to dream and make that dream a reality. The next generation is looking up to us and looking to us to show them the way, and this is what I’m doing... How will I run this race? How will I go past the second round? It’s really a challenging thing to think and repeat and think."
Her team also consists of long-time friend, Eliud Kipchoge, who was the first man to break the two-hour marathon barrier.
Kipchoge took part in a similar project backed by Nike in 2017 and broke the record two years later.
On having Kipchoge in her corner, she said: "Having somebody like Eliud who has tried an attempt like this before at the finish line, with my family and fans showing people we have achieved what people believed was impossible, it will be really special for me."
Kipyegon has been training in Kenya but will undergo the challenge in Paris next Thursday on the same track she broke her Olympic record on last summer.
Nasir Jabbar