Cathal Dennehy: Still a great beauty to pushing to the limit

As Faith Kipyegon collapsed to the track, utterly spent, there was something so human and so vulnerable about this great champion.

Faith Kipyegon, from Kenya, runs in an attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. Pic: AP Photo/Christophe Ena

I was at a sports awards once, sitting alongside a colleague when we started to debate the limits of human performance. 

He argued that anything is possible with the right belief and work ethic while I – cynical bastard that I am – claimed such traits will only take you so far, that all the willpower in the world won’t turn a donkey into a derby winner.