Faith Kipyegon to Lead Historic Women's Mile Return at Prefontaine Classic After 30 Years

The women's mile is set to make a highly anticipated return to the Prefontaine Classic for the first time in over three decades, with world record holder Faith Kipyegon leading a star-studded field.

The prestigious event, part of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League circuit, will take place from July 3-4 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. It will feature some of the world's top track and field athletes.

This will be Faith Kipyegon's 11th appearance at the Pre Classic, a meet where she has a history of delivering record-breaking performances.

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At the 50th edition of the event last year, she shattered the 1,500m world record with a time of 3:48.68. Her current mile world record of 4:07.64 was set at the 2023 Monaco Diamond League.

The Prefontaine Classic, a premier Diamond League meet, frequently rotates its event schedule to keep the competition fresh and attract elite athletes.

While the women's 1,500m has been a staple for more than 30 years, the mile has not been contested since 1993. The current meet record of 4:21.25, set by Mary Slaney in 1988, is widely expected to be broken this July.

The three-time Olympic 1500m champion is widely regarded as one of the greatest distance runners of all time, particularly over the 3.75-lap race.

Her incredible list of achievements includes three Olympic gold medals (2016, 2021, 2024), an Olympic silver (2024), and four world championship titles in the event (2017, 2022, 2023, 2025). In a remarkable 2023 season, she became the first woman ever to break three world records in a single year.

Although the mile is not an Olympic or World Championship discipline, it is a popular event at Diamond League meetings such as the Pre-Classic, London, Monaco, and Stockholm.

Faith Kipyegon's most recent attempt at the distance was at an unofficial Nike event in June 2025, where she aimed to become the first woman to break the four-minute barrier.

While she unofficially bettered her own world record with a time of 4:06.42, the sub-four-minute mark remained just out of reach.